Painter
Omar El Nagdi
(b. 1931 – Cairo, Egypt) A towering figure in modern Arab art with a career that spanned
over six decades, Omar El Nagdi has weaved a territory where he has crowned himself
as an unparalleled master of Expressionism, Cubism and Fauvism with a cultural
identity deeply rooted in Egyptian heritage. He obtained his BFA in painting from the
Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University in Cairo in 1952, securing first class honours at 21
years old. His art education extended far and beyond at Moscow, Venice and Ravenna
where he honed his versatile artistic sensibilities through the exploration of different
mediums including mosaics, ceramics, silk-screen printing and graphic arts
implemented through ceramics, wood, stone and various metals. With a multifaceted
educational background and forwarded practice, Nagdi has woven a visual language
rooted in cultural identity and cosmopolitan in artistic echo.
Drawing from the nuances of daily Egyptian life and his upbringing in Bab Al-Sha’riya
district, Nagdi has become fluent in the symbolic depiction of the social and political
concerns of his own people; expressionist in its motif, cubist & fauvist in its visual
representation. Omar has become the lead in Hurrufiyya movement where he
pioneered the rhythmic repetition of ‘one’ (wahed) Arabic numerical, drawing
inspiration from the spirituality of Sufism.
Nagdi is a decorated recipient of numerous accolades with an amass of 16 local and
international prizes, most notable of which are his three Alexandria Biennales (1966,
1968 and 1974) and the honorary medal of the French parliament. His work has travelled
across esteemed local and international solo & group exhibitions alike, crowning him as
one of the most recognised Egyptian artists in the international art market as plenty of
his artworks have been sold at most prestigious auction houses.
