Marguerite Nakhla

Marguerite Nakhla was born in 1908 in Alexandria, Egypt.Marguerite  was a prominent figure among the first generation of Egyptian modern art pioneers. Unable to join The Cairo school of Fine Arts given her gender, Nakhla pursued her art studies at Paris where she also obtained a teaching diploma in 1939 & studied mural painting at Ecole du Louvre in 1951.

Oscillating between Paris & Egypt pursuing studies and working, Nakhla’s oeuvre possessed remarkable consistency. She employed graphic treatments, oil painting and fresco in fauvist and expressionist fashions to depict the subtle rhythm of Egyptian & Parisian daily life. Marguerite was heavily influenced by Coptic visual culture as she dedicated an entire body of work depicting Coptic imagery which was honoured by St. Mark’s Coptic Musuem’s retrospective exhibition in 2016 in Canada. 

Nakhla exhibited her works in solo & collective exhibitions across France & Egypt. Among her notable displays were the International Art Fair in Deauville, France where she was awarded Certificate for International Painting (1960), in addition to Show Bernham Gallery (1954) and Society of Fine Arts in Egypt (1978). Marguerite Nakhla passed away in 1977.