IT was in Paris, the City of Light, that Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil discovered French civilisation, which would greatly influence his taste. It was also there that he fell for an unknown dancer. Theirs was a wonderful love story, helped by their mutual passion for art. They were both absorbed in beauty and buying artistic masterpieces. Their love developed into marriage and they moved to Egypt, living in a palace on the Nile in Giza, which Khalil, a Cabinet minister and Speaker of the Senate, had purchased. He was its fourth owner. The Palace of Khalil and his wife was built in 1915. Its east side overlooks the Nile; the metal and glass work of its entrance is in the art nouveau style. The building's west side bears the features of the neo-classical style, a blend of different ornaments. The huge mullioned window on the north side is particularly impressive. Visitors standing on the first and second floors can see the window, which is above the inner stairs and bears the signature of French artist Lucien Mette (Paris, 1970). The palace has always been of great interest forartists, who appreciate beauty and enjoy a taste of art. Despite his many political commitments, Khalil never let anything distract him from his hobby. His family lived in the palace, which was like a private museum, till 1960, when his widow suggested it be transformed into an official museum. That happened two years later. Many Egyptian artists criticised Khalil, describing him as an Egyptian with French tastes, as most of the works in his palace are by French artists. Enriching Egyptian culture "But Mahmoud and his wife also loved all kinds of Egyptian art," Reem Bahir, the manager of the Mahmoud Khalil and his W ife Museum, told the local weekly magazine October. The museum is home to a lot of Egyptian masterpieces like ‘The City' by Mahmoud Saeed and ‘The Three Musketeers' by Mohamed Hassan, which consists of three bronze statues of the famous Egyptian politicians Ahmed Maher, Ali Maher and Khalil himself, as well as works by many other famous Egyptian artists. "Khalil wanted to propagating Egyptian art worldwide. He entered works by Egyptian plastic artists and sculptures in the International Salon du Paris in 1936," she added. "He greatly enriched Egyptian culture by sponsoring fine art, as well as boosting the cultural exchange between Egypt and France in the first half of the 20th century.” Khalil also co-established and chaired the Society of Lovers of Fine Arts in 1924. His efforts and dedication were acknowledged when many prestigious French medals and awards were bestowed upon him. Being a masterpiece on its own, the palace was evaluated by the Inventory Committee half century ago, which said that its contents were worth nearly LE11.3 million. The museum includes masterpieces great artists who extensively contributed to the movements of fine art in Europe in general and France in particular in the 19th century. The impressionist school However, the majority of the museum's 208 works are from the impressionist school, which laid the ground for the fine art movement in the 20th century. The great artists represented in the museum include Paul Gauguin, Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, John Jongkind, Charles François, Daubigny and Eugene Fromentin. The museum also boasts a priceless collection of vases made in France, China, Japan and Iran, as well as a big collection of elaborate miniatures by Chinese artists in precious stones, like emerald and coral. The museum's exhibits also include large-size bronze, marble and gypsum Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Louis Antoine Barye and Charles Cordier, as well as a rare collection of small Japanese boxes. A shrewd lady In 1903, after a few months after the couple's marriage, Khalil's wife bought Pierre-Auguste Renoir's ‘Neck Tie' for about LE400. The newly-weds had a huge argument about the price of the tableau and his wife said prophetically: "History alone will evaluate this beautiful work of art.” And how right she was ��" experts recently valued this painting at about $50 million!
