Mahmoud Mokhtar

 Mahmoud Mokhtar was born in 1891 in Al-Mahallah Al-Kobra, Egypt. Mokhtar was the first sculptor to define Egyptian sculpture in two millennia. In 1900, he moved to Cairo to attend primary school, then enrolled in the first class of The Cairo School of Fine Arts in 1908 alongside Ragheb Ayyad where he graduated top of his class. Mokhtar received a government funded scholarship from Prince Yusuf Kamal to extend his studies at The School of Fine Arts in Paris & was a visiting student at French sculptor’s studio Jules-Felix Coutan.

Mokhtar’s short-lived life & career were intensely influenced by his early rural childhood, his first encounter with Cairo’s architecture, Egypt’s ancient sculpture, and exposure to European aesthetic standards following his brief stay in Paris – Mokhatr weaved all of his influences & backgrounds to perpetuate Egyptian nationalism. During his visits to Egypt, the pioneer sculptor was affected by the political scene of the 1919 revolution against British rule. He modelled a small statue of a female peasant & a sphinx to reflect Egypt’s prowess against the coloniser naming it Nahdet Misr (Egypt’s Awakening). Following 8 years of funding and production, a large-scale of Nahdet Misr was displayed at Bab El-Hadid Square (Now Ramses Square) becoming the first Egyptian sculpture to be publicly exhibited & throwing Mokhtar in a robust spotlight

Mahmoud Mokhtar carved a nonpareil niche in the history of Egyptian modern art. In 1919, Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum was established at Gezira Island to commemorate the sculptor’s legacy. The artist lost his battle to Leukaemia in 1934.