George Bahgoury

Grand Merit Award Winner – 2022

The Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture and Arts announces the unanimous approval of its Board of Trustees on the nomination of the renowned Egyptian Fine Artist, George Bahgoury, for the first edition of the foundation’s Grand Merit Award for the year 2022, with a value of LE.100,000.

Bahgoury was be awarded at the foundation’s Third Round of the Art Awards Ceremony for the Year 2022 on March 7, 2022 at El-Gezira Arts Center in Zamalek, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.

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. 

Biography

George Abdel-Massih El-Bahgoury

Personal Information

  • Famous Name: George Bahgoury
  • Date of Birth: 13/12/1932
  • Place of Birth: Luxor
  • Specialization: Painting

Education

  • Diploma in Fine Arts, Cairo, Studio Beccar, Painting Department, 1955
  • École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, Studio Yankel – France, 1971
  • Diploma in Los Angeles

Positions and Professions

  • Practiced caricature drawing in Rose al-Youssef and Sabah El-Kheir magazines, Cairo (1953–1975)

Places of Residence

  • Luxor
  • Menoufia (Menouf)
  • Cairo
  • Paris (since 1975)

Solo Exhibitions
Held numerous solo exhibitions in Egypt and abroad — around 100 in various world capitals.
Some highlights include:

  • Fine Arts Hall, Cairo (1973)
  • Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo (1987, 1989, 1997, 2009, 2021)
  • Khan Al Maghrabi Gallery, Cairo (1996, 2003)
  • Arabesque Gallery (1999)
  • Atelier Cairo (1999)
  • El Sagheer El Sagheer Gallery (1999)
  • Picasso Gallery, Cairo (2000, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
  • Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum, Nahdat Misr Hall (2007)
  • Shadicor Gallery, Heliopolis (2008, 2017)
  • Al Masar Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zamalek (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
  • Ubuntu Gallery, Zamalek (2021)
  • Art Talk Gallery, Zamalek (2022)
  • Liwan Gallery, Zamalek (2019)
  • Semiramis InterContinental Hotel, Cairo (2017)

Local Group Exhibitions
Participated in numerous national group exhibitions such as:

  • Spring Exhibition, Cairo (1976)
  • Contemporary Egyptian Art Exhibitions in Paris (1976) and Cairo (1976)
  • General Exhibitions, Caricature Exhibitions, Ramadan-themed exhibitions, Cairo and Alexandria (2000–2016)
  • Cairo International Biennale, exhibitions on themes like Umm Kulthum, Nasser’s Dream, Revolution & Caricature, Journey of the Holy Family, and many more (2003–2016).

International Group Exhibitions

  • Arab Biennale in Iraq
  • 6th Alexandria Biennale of Mediterranean Countries (1965)
  • Venice Biennale, Italy (1969)
  • Oxford, Woodstock, London (1970)
  • Numerous exhibitions in Paris (1973–1997) including Grand Palais, Louvre (1999)
  • Exhibited in Sudan, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Finland, Germany, USA, and France
  • Gabrovo Biennale of Humor and Satire, Bulgaria (2007)
  • Aswan International Sculpture Symposium (2008)
  • Luxor International Painting Symposium (2012, 2015, 2019)
  • Jeddah Atelier, Saudi Arabia (2013, 2014, 2016)

Public Roles & Contributions

  • Jury Member, “Little African Union,” 1999

Mention in Encyclopedias

  • Featured in the book An Egyptian Icon (2017), published by Picasso East for Culture & Arts, commemorating his 85th birthday

Publications & Cultural Activities

  • Port Said 56 – Sadat 80 – Paris 1990
  • Novel: The Icon Trilogy, praised by Dr. Ali El-Raai, Edward El-Kharrat, and Dr. Salah Fadl
  • Memories of Guava … Drawing on Drawing (2016, Dar El-Thaqafa El-Gedida)

Awards (Local)

  • “Day of Giving” Honor from the Catholic Center for Cinema, March 2017
  • Grand Merit Award from the Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture & Arts, 2022

Awards (International)

  • Honorary Award for Arab Satirical Drawing, Damascus, Syria (1979)
  • Caricature Award from Spain (for a Franco caricature) — $12,000 + Gold Medal
  • Award from Italian Caricature Biennale, Ancona (since 1978)
  • King Abdullah II Award for Creativity, Literature, and Arts (2016)

Collections (Private & Public)

  • Private collections in England, France
  • Official collections in:
    • Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, Cairo
    • Le Mans Museum, France
    • El Shona Museum, Alexandria
    • Museum of Modern Art, Amman
    • Egyptian Embassies
    • Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Important Milestones

  • His oil paintings were exhibited in the Carrousel du Louvre (1990), representing Egypt by special invitation of the Society of Fine Arts Lovers in Paris.
  • His painting Face from Egypt won the Silver Medal and his name was inscribed in the Hall of Fame alongside Jean Cocteau.
  • His lithographs captured the attention of French art audiences in Limoges after master engraver Alain Jousseau invited him to work in his studio.