FineArt Sector - Biographies - Mohamed Mohamed Sabry

- Mohammed Sabry.. the master of Bastil who excelled in it as no one can compete with him.
- This artist who respected his art giving it a lot of time and effort, and was able to mentain his artistic character through out his artistic history. This pioneering artist expressed with his brush the beauty he found everywhere he went and which was not seen by others. Through our eyes we saw what this Egyptian artist saw, and he was the only one to become a member in the greatest and oldest academy all over the world which is the Royal Academy at St. fernando, Madrid. So he became among the greatest artists for his artistic position as he was also appointed as an academic member for lifetime at the Royal Academy of St. Carlos, Flansia, Spain.
- It is a great honour for us to be represented abroad by such an artist due to his great Egyptian artistic print which reflects the Egyptian civilization which extends for thousands of years. We are full of hope and joy for hosting such a great artist, -who has the love and admiration of millions of artists and people who have a good artistic taste-, in this great exhibition held by the National Cultural Center `Egyptian Opera House` at Fine Arts Hall.
- a Salut for the artist Mohammed Sabry for his huge role in enriching the fine movement in egypt.
Prof./ Samir Farag
Head of the General Authority
Of the National Cultural Center previously
Egyptian Opera House

- The style of this creative artist is realism. Yet, realism includes various styles and trends both in art and literature; all what the eye sees is reflected in the mind which turns it into an innovative form. One of these trends is Documentary (academic) Realism in which artists paint on walls of the closed studios in schools of art, and this kind buries talents and every attempt to discover artists personal abilities. There is also Analytical (scientific) Realism which is emanating from the previous one; yet not in the closed studious, but rather coming out facing nature, lights, air to process colours which they reaches after analysing light into its constituent colours . One of the outcomes of this study is Theory of Integration in colours which motivated a number of French painters to go out in open air waiting for what we see in the rainbow and through the analytical prism of light, and pursuting light and freedom of expression; those were called impressionists such as those who went out in the Fontanbelo town and Parbizone Village.
- Mohammed Sabry`s art belongs to Impressionistic Realism which knows no deception; his true emotions are obvious in his paintings which display to us folk districts and landscapes in Old Cairo, Aswan, Spanish and Moroccan regions useing Bastil colours which he mastered to acheive his purposes in forming aesthetic values which he seeks without any effort, hesitation or ambiguity.
- Mohammed Sabry is the only one among the contemporary Egyptian artists who uses Bastil in painting. Some people may call Bastil randomly as chalk which is a wrong assimilation , and one cannot confuse between them neither in saing or use. the difference between them is like that between Watercolour, Gwash and Acrelick colours though all of them are dissolved in water to be used; yet they are not alike.
-For Mohammed Sabry freedom of expression means no control since it is that kind of freedom which indicates commitment, and true expression of his emotions, agitations, feelings and his will; just as every free artist who knows how to speake the lnaguage which he is good at ,prefers and stick to, without any obligation or submission to what is imposed on him, or even following any sudden emotion.
- It is true that Mohammed Sabry has loved Bastil, as he found in it the tool that helps him to acheive his own self-fulfillment. But he never stopped painting with oil colours, or watercolours. Despite the difference between these materials and also between the ways of using them, he was able to reflect in his paintings his emotions, and how he is affected with the beauty in everything he sees. For he may sometimes turn this beauty into light colours by delecate touches with confidence, accuracy, and without hesitation. Yet, in some other times, he turns his paintings to a violent conflict among bright colours, dark colours, and the reflections between them. In other paintings one can see colours like air saturated with water, or endless sky.

Sedqy El-Gbakhngy

- After the first exhibition he had, 1950 - Mohammed Sabry: Taha Hussein chose me as a member in the Egyptian Institute in Madrid before it was inaugurated.
- He is a competent artist who belongs to the Egyptian Artistic Movement,he puts his own prints in drawing the scene which he was professional at as a topic with Bastil colours which he mastered using, exceeding even himself till they called him in Europe Master of Bastil . He was partially interested in drawing portraits; he even draws a number of celebrities and also Egyptian ordinary people. He works with youth enthusiasm though he just became 90 few months ago.
- A journey of creativity and giving, and full of artistic events in Cairo, Luxor, Spain, London, Morocco, Oman, Bahrein. This journey started in Bolak Abu AL-Ela where I was raised and born at 21st December 1917, exactly behind Abu Al-Ela Mosque, and my elementary school was Abaas, sabteia in mid-20`s. I used to study hard and my award was forgein books coloured and magnificently printed; I was drawing them exactly. The painting teacher liked my paintings, he even registered me in the school painting group after hanging my paintings on the wall. He advised me to read a book called `Expalnatory Drawing` of artist Mohammed Yousef Hamam who was Director of Arts Administration; then General Secretary of Fine Arts Loving Association. The book included portraits, paintings of the greatest artists, anatomy, prespective and all what is related to drawing which was of great benefit to me. After that I joined Applied Arts school, Decore section earlier in 30`s; this study was divided into 2 parts the first one was provided with diploma, and the other provided high qualification. I studied under the supervision of Mohammed Ezzat Mustafa, Hosni Khalil, Ahmed Ragheb, and Saied El-Sadr, and my colleagues were sculptor Fathi Mahmud and Abd El-Salam Ahmed. I graduated in 1937 on top of my colleagues, but I did not go to the scheduled mission to be nominated by artist Mohammed Mohsen, General Director of Fine Arts administration at that time, to work in the Education Museum which was directed by Ahmed Ateiah Allah, and I joined painting section with Salah Yusef and Kamel Mustafa. This museum was on the Nile, in Gezera, in the place of Teachers Syndicate. I used to go to the beach to draw, and I establishesd my first exhibition in 1943 after six years of my graduation in Goldenberg, Qasr El-Nile. Pioneer artist Ahmed Sabry and artist Hussien Bikar have visited my exhibition, they liked my works which made them offer me to study in the free section at the Faculty of Arts where they were both working; I agreed which made me a student once again , and I had a big opportunity to practice painting and become excellent. The first contest of graduation project in the free section in Faculty of Fine Arts was held in the 5th year after me joining the Faculty, and the one who won was to gain a mission in Luxor`s studio. I presented models and studies in the topic of coppersmiths; 16 studies with various materials , which made my professors ask me to excute it in the faculty in 1948. The panel included Yusef Kamil, he was the faculty director, Ragheb Aiad, Ahmed Sabry, and other great artists; I was in the first position so I went on this internal mission to Luxor studio. At this period, and during my years of study at the free section, I worked as a librarian at the Liberary of Faculty of Applied Arts, and I sugessted to teach, but I was rejected because it was exclusive to those who came from missons abroad. I started working in the liberary, and I turned it into a place where one can study about history of art and design , but I did not depend only on practice, I also studied hard , and I became professional in classification of liberaries after studying in The Public University located in Garden city next to Al-Dobara Palace; this University was also teaching painting, arts, literature, and history.
- During my period of office in the Liberary of Faculty of Applied Arts, I gathered some of the students and started teaching drawing to them, upon the Faculty concent which provided me with the necessary materials; among my students were Ramsy Mustafa and Mohammed Taha Hussein who are currently considered as some of the satrs of fine art.
Top Prize
- Mohammed Sabry, at his first paricipation in art contests, won and came in the first position; in 1948, he received Golden Medal at the Great Artistic Festival held by Ministry of Public Knowledge. He says: ` in this year, I received this medal and gained the top prize in the free section at Faculty of Fine Arts, and cosequently I gained Luxor mission in which I was with sculptor Abd El-Badie` Abd El-Hay and Saad Al-Mansoury. This was a period of creativityas I visited Pharaonic tombs and cities like Habo, Al karnak, Luxor Temple and Al ramsioum. I was drawing at these places all day , and at night I was drawing portraits at the studio. I used to spend winter in Luxor, while I spent summer at kadam cemetery in Old Cairo which gave me the opportuniy to draw alleys, streets, old and historical buildings, and mosques; this helped me a lot in sticking to alleys, and in 1950 I established an exhibition in which I displayed the works of this period`.
-This Exhibition was a turning point in Sabry`s life. Sabry says:` one day a person came to me asking for the artist of this exhibition, Ahmed Sabry. I said to him that The artist name is Mohammed Sabry , not Ahmed Sabry, and when he knew that I am Mohammed Sabry, he told me that the French critic `Marielle` wrote magnificently about me, and praised my works. At that time there were both Egyptian and Foreigner critics in Egypt, and Prof./ Taha Hussien knew all about these critical reviews as the Minister of Knowledge then. Another person also came to the exhibition wondering about my works and qualifications; that person was the Head of the Minister of Knowledge bureau`. After that the bureau of Minister of Knowledge called him, which was a huge surprise, to tell him that Prof./Taha Hussien nominated him to travel to a mission to Spain as a member of the first Artistic Cultural Institute in Europe which was to be inaugurated in the 50`s by Taha Hussien. Sabry says: `this mission included 16 of the best students from different Universities, and on my sea journey to Madrid, on board of the ship, I was accompanied by Prof./ Ahmed Hekal the former Minister of Culture, and Prof./ Mahmoud Mekky the head of Spanish and Arabic Literature Department in Cairo University. Meanwhile, I joined Faculty of St. Fernando as a colleague of artist Abbas Shohdy, a number of graduates of Faculty of Applied Arts, and all my colleagues in Faculty of Fine Arts. Artist Abass Shohdy encouraged me saying: do not bother yourself, your work and morality support you. For me this was actually a precious advice which gave me a strong push forward to enter ths world. At St.Fernando Academy I had good relations with my professors who nominated me to have an exhibition including my works under the concent and encouragement of Prof./Mohammed Abd El-Hady Abu Merida `Director of the Egyptian Institute and Cultural consultant` at that time, and the exhibition was established in May 1951at the National Modern Art Museum while I was still a student at the Academy. This exhibition included works which I have painted in Egypt, and others in Madrid. The Museum director, who is one of the greatest critics in Spain at that time, presented me in the Catalog of the exhibition which was the first Egyptian exhibition to be held in Spain`.
- I came back from this mission, after I became a Professor in St. Fernando Academy, to teach in Faculty of Applied Arts in the period from 1953 till 1959, and Omar Al Nagdy and Saleh Reda were among my students. After my return, I held my first exhibition in 1953 at Cairo Atilier, and it was inaugurated by the Spanish Ambassador to cairo, his wife, and Mo`nes, Taha Hussien`s son.
- What a lot of people do not know about artist Mohammed Sabry is that he studied restoration of paintings on the highest level in a scholarship at St. Fernandos Academy with the gratest professors of restoration in the world.
- Sabry says:` I and my colleagues restored works of artists Joya,Felaskese and Algreko.this was in 1955 and 1956 in which I also held an exhibition in tatwan, Algeria which was the first Egyptian exhibition held there, and the Algerian and Spanish newspapers praised it. Then in 1958, another exhibition was held in Alrebat, and was also praised by Algerian, and French newspapers. I also received an invitation to hold an exhibition in Paris, but I could not because the French-Egyptian relations were deteriorated.
(wesam Faris)
- In 1959, I was appointed as an artistic member at the Islamic Studies Institute in Madrid. At that time, Prof./ Hussien Mo`nes was its Director and Cultural Consultant, and prof./Mahmoud Meky who was its Deputy and Cultural Consultant. This period was a rich one for meas I joined the Spanish Artistic Movement, and participated in its exhibition and its artistic activities; so I obtained and the Top Prize in painting at Autumn Salon In Madrid, in 1964. Later on I was chosen as a Panel Member of the 46th period of this Salon, in 1978.
Andalusia Trip
- While Sabry was an artistic member at the institute, the Egyptian Ministry of Knowledge appointed him to gon on a trip to Andalusia in order to paint Islamic antiques there.
sabry says: `I visited corodoba, Seville, Granada, Malaga, and Ramada, and I drew the Great Mosque, the Red Palace, Seville Palace, and all the antiques of Andalusia in 30 paintings suing Bastil. those paintings surprised Prof./ Hussien Mo`nes who held an exhibition in at Joya Gallery, one of the greatest galleries in Madrid, 1961 which was widely accepted. this exhibition was followed by another one in London in 1962 where I was called `Master of Bastil` by art critics there. In the same year, I held an exhibition at Kants Gallery in Rome which was inaugurated by Prof./ Naguib Hashim, Egyptian Ambassador to Rome, who charged me to go on the trip to Andalusia after he was appointed as Minister of Knowledge. Vatican L`Osservatore Romano Newspaper wrote about this exhibition which was the first time for this newspaper to write about a private exhibition though it writes only about international Museums. At this period, my works became widely known through these exhibitions I held at Lisbon, Portugal in 1960 from which I have one of my works, and also the exhibition in Frankfurt in 1962 which was praised by most of the German newspapers.
-artist Mohammed Sabry comes back to Egypt to be welcomed in Aswan, in 1965.
-Sabry says: `I saw in reality the 2nd phase of the High Dam construction in 1966 as a member of delegation artists which included Sedqy Al Gbakhngy, Al Hussien Fawzy and Alia Sabry. This trip was an invitation from Sedqy Soliman Minister of High Dam through Fine Arts Loving Association. The delgation stayed there for a number of weeks drawing around the clock the High Dam site, and after return these works were displayed in a successful exhibition. One of these works is a huge oil painting of the High Dam which I drew and kept. Mean while the Supreme Council Of Soviet Union was visiting the Egyptian Nation Council who wanted to give the Soviet Union a present which was an artistic work as a pay back; so Prof./ Tharwat Okasha, Minister of Culture, at that time gave my painting to the Supreme Council Of Soviet Union on behalf of Egypt.

An exhibition held by a Republic Decree
- I recieved an official invitation from Spain to Hold a private honorary exhibition within the general exhibition in Madrid which is a great exhibition held at `Rotero`Garden in Folaskeze Palace in 1967. At that time traveling abroad was banned, but when Egyptian Officials knew that it was an official invitation and that this trip is sponsered by Spain, a Repuplican Decree of concent was issued. I traveled to display my works in an exhibition at Honour Gallery which was inaugurated by the King of spain and the Egyptian Ambassador to Madrid. This exhibition was such a success through which I was nominated as an Academic Member in the Academy of St. Fernando, Madrid, that supervises the artistic movement in spain, along with the greatest professors of art, which made me the first Arab to gain this membership`.
-`In 1965, I worked as a Director of exhibitions at Ministry of Foreign Cultural Relations which didn`t last for financial issues, after that I became an artistic consultant of the General Authority for Arts at Minister of Culture which was the link between the Ministry and artists. In 1972, I was chosen as a member for lifetime at St. carlos Royal Academy; in addition, Spanish Ministry of culture held an exhibition which included Bastil paintings, which I drew, displayed in museums of 9 Governorates at the period from October 1979 till June 1980. The Ministry has issued a special catalogue on my artistic life, and a huge colored poster as an appreciation; this exhibition was the first of a kind to be held for an Egyptian, Arab artist, and I was also chosen as aguest of honour in the General Exhibition of Fine Arts which was held at the Glass Palace in Madrid under the auspices of the King of spain in 1976.

National Events
- Our artist Mohmmed Sabry was preoccupied by national events especially that of 1956, and through an invitation for an exhibition in which kamal el Malah called for expressing Port Saied Battle, I drew an oil painting 60×80 cm. This exhibition toured different countries, and my painting was chosen by Foreign Minister, but by the end of this exhibition, I discovered that it was lost. Fine Arts Loving Association suggested to hold an exhibition on the battle in 1957, so I drew a painting of 2 meters with which I participated in that exhibition that was inaugurated by Kamal El Din Hussein, the Vice President, who was supervising a number of Ministries including Minister of Culture. He liked my painting and ordered to buy it to be put in his office in Ministry of Education, and it remained there; Iwas visiting it from time to time till it was moved into the bureau of Deputy then to that of Director of the adminstration, but due to paint it was about to be destroyed. So out of my fear I hardly borrowed it to put it in an exhibition that I held at Salam Gallery in Zamalek, 1984. Then I gave it aas apresent to Egyptian Modern Art Museum after the end of that gallery...I also drew a painting about the 6th of October victory, I gave it the president as a gift and it is in Abdein Palace. I drew the Peace speech delivered by The leader Gamal Abd El Naserin United Nation Organization, and also another paniting `signing of Cairo Agreement` in 1971 which includes a group of Arab leaders and it is more than 2.30 meters long`.
- Artist Mohammed Sabry sees that light and old architecture in Spanish villages, which he painted, looks like villages in Morroco and our villages and our historic palces.
- Sabry says: `I live in a place like one of its citizens; for when I drew spain, I did it like a spanish citizen according to one of the critics there. And also in Morocco I lived in it and felt it in a way that I translated the places with my emotions and feelings till it ended into the work which carries the atmosphere and the environment of the place both in form and soul`.
-`light is what attracts me in any place I draw. I pass by the place more than once at different times; then I pick the right time which gives me the character of the place and time and the elements they carry, and light shapes and incarnates the work as it reveals its shape and color`.
-`In the 60th in Andalusia, I used to work in open air with relief and comfort drawing directly from nature, whereas in Egypt it was so difficult to sit in a place and draw it so I had to draw an `sketch` first with its colors and the historic places with its details using a pencil; then I drew the painting through that sketch, and through this living I can just incarnate the place on any surface`.
- Artist Mohammed Sabry gained many of Prizes, Decorations, and also Certificates of Merit.
- Sabry says:`I gained a certificate of merit from President Al Sadat for a painting of queen of Spain that I drew and it was given as a present to King and Queen of Spain during their visit in Egypt. I also gained first grade Decoration of Art and Science as the pioneer of Bastil in 1974, the Decoration of Queen Elizabeth that the King of Spain gave to me as a sign of appreciation towards my art, Medal and Academic Diploma of the Royal Academy of St. Fernando, Madrid as a member in it, and I gained the Certificate of Merit of State, in 1977 as well.
- Egyptian Minister of culture honoured him in 1955, and Minister of Culture gave him a Certificate and Medal for the pioneer role he plays and the artistic giving.
Finally, Sabry says:` Mansoura, Helwan and Menia Universities nominated me for Mubarak Prize in Arts which is the highest Prize of State in egypt.

Prof./ Mohammed Al Naser
Nesf El Donia Magazine
June 2007