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Lot Essay
Christie's is proud to offer in the present sale an outstanding, rare and elegant sculpture by the prominent Egyptian artist Omar El Nagdi. Born in Cairo in 1931, the artist studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Helwan University and later settled in Russia and Italy, eventually graduating from the Academy of Venice in 1967. A prodigious pioneer in Egyptian art history, Nagdi exhibited since the 1960s in Europe alongside the Western masters Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dal and his works were soon acquired by leading institutions around the world.
An active member of Cairo's art community and of the Liberal Artists' group headed by Taha Hussein, Nagdi is an extraordinary painter and who equally excels as a film director and music composer. A multi-disciplinary artist, El Nagdi works with sculpture, oil, watercolour and mosaics. Inspired by the diverse cultures that he encountered in rural Egypt, he fuses in his works the Pharaonic and Islamic iconography with Cairo's urban culture idioms and Western aesthetics. His works visually enigmatic and captivating and inspired by folk art and traditions are reflections on everyday life in Egypt.
The present sculpture, Seated Woman, was executed in welded iron in 1968 and was exhibited that same year at the Venice Biennale. The woman sits straight on a carefully structured chair; her face, devoid of features and expressions and her elongated silhouette exude femininity, sensuality, intimacy as well as delicacy. Showcasing Nadgi's mastery of shapes and material, the present work is visually captivating and aesthetically fascinating.
Following his success at the Venice Biennale in 1968 where the present work was discovered by many, Omar El-Nagdi was granted an award later that same year at the Alexandria Biennale for his sculptures. Mostly recognised for his paintings, Omar El Nagdi's sculptures are rare and as such, the present work one of his early masterpieces in iron is undeniably a masterpiece.
An active member of Cairo's art community and of the Liberal Artists' group headed by Taha Hussein, Nagdi is an extraordinary painter and who equally excels as a film director and music composer. A multi-disciplinary artist, El Nagdi works with sculpture, oil, watercolour and mosaics. Inspired by the diverse cultures that he encountered in rural Egypt, he fuses in his works the Pharaonic and Islamic iconography with Cairo's urban culture idioms and Western aesthetics. His works visually enigmatic and captivating and inspired by folk art and traditions are reflections on everyday life in Egypt.
The present sculpture, Seated Woman, was executed in welded iron in 1968 and was exhibited that same year at the Venice Biennale. The woman sits straight on a carefully structured chair; her face, devoid of features and expressions and her elongated silhouette exude femininity, sensuality, intimacy as well as delicacy. Showcasing Nadgi's mastery of shapes and material, the present work is visually captivating and aesthetically fascinating.
Following his success at the Venice Biennale in 1968 where the present work was discovered by many, Omar El-Nagdi was granted an award later that same year at the Alexandria Biennale for his sculptures. Mostly recognised for his paintings, Omar El Nagdi's sculptures are rare and as such, the present work one of his early masterpieces in iron is undeniably a masterpiece.