Painter
Mahmoud Abdullah
Mahmoud Abdullah, born in 1938 in Alexandria, Egypt, graduated from The College of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1962. His artistic talents encompassed painting and graphic art. Abdullah drew inspiration from the concepts of freedom, tranquility, liberty, and independence, which were strongly evident in his artwork. His art serves as a depiction of the ongoing struggle between humanity and nature, symbolized by the perpetual conflict between solidity and fluidity. To Abdullah, solidity represents the individuals residing on the shore, cultivating culture and civilization, while fluidity symbolizes the ever-changing surface of the unknown water world.
Warm colors dominate his work, tinged with gray tones that convey a sense of impending disaster or the tension of awaiting news. His art possesses a mystical ambiance and takes on a geometric, poetic, and lyrical form of abstraction. In 1958, he co-founded the “Abstractionists” group with fellow artists Said Al Adawi and Mostafa Abdel Moety. Abdullah served as a lecturer in the “Graphics” Department at the College of Fine Arts from 1962 to 1970 and also taught at the Applied Arts College from 1981 to 1984.
He exhibited his work in numerous local and international exhibitions, including multiple appearances at the Alexandria Art Biennale. His works are housed in prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo, Mahmoud Said Museum of Modern Art in Alexandria, Hussein Sobhy Museum of Fine Arts in Alexandria, Culture Institute of Arts in Rome, The Egyptian Academy in Rome, The National Museum of Belgrade, Cairo Opera House, and the Museum of Graphic Art in Cairo. Additionally, his pieces are held in private collections across Egypt, the Gulf, Europe, the United States, Japan, and Australia.
