Winners

Distinguished Author Mohamed Salmawy, Secretary-General of the Grand Merit Award and a member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, stated that the Grand Merit Award is distinct from the other foundation’s Art Awards as it will be granted to eminent Egyptian figures in honor of their great achievements in the fields of Art including visual arts, literature and music, and their outstanding contributions in enriching Egypt’s cultural arena. Therefore, unlike the other awards that are granted to young artists, the Grand Merit Award is presented to leading figures in their fields, as a tribute and praise to their notable achievements. 

In his statement of the reasons for the nomination of Bahgoury for the award, Salmawy explained that George Bahgoury is a genuine Egyptian artist who painted hundreds – or even thousands – of paintings throughout a lifetime spanning nearly a century.  He stated that Bahgoury’s paintings depict the Egyptian reality and embody many prominent Egyptian symbols, in addition to being praised in Egypt and abroad, especially in France, where Bahgoury lived for years.