The Cervantes Institute (Spanish Cultural Centre) in Alexandria organised, on Sunday, an event in honour of artist Mustafa Abdel-Moaty, one of the most prominent Egyptian artists and the winner of the 2021 Nile International Award for Arts.

The art of Abdel-Moaty is not abstract in the strict sense of the word. His paintings are still charged with vague tales, weaving their existence out of the revelations of folk kelim motifs, the ancient Egyptian language, children’s drawings, and anxiety.

It is worth noting that artist Abdel-Moaty was born in 1938, and received his doctorate from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando Academy in Madrid in 1977. He also founded the Group of Experimentalists, in cooperation with artists Said Al-Adawy and Mahmoud Abdallah.

He founded the Nile Hall in 1984, the Cairo International Biennial, the Egyptian Pavilion at the Titograd Museum in Yugoslavia, the Mahmoud Said Complex in Alexandria, and the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art in Cairo in 1985.

He also contributed to Egypt’s first ever participation in the Havana Biennial in Cuba in 1986. He represented Egypt at several international cultural events and participated in international exhibitions, and was appointed this year as director of the Alexandria Atelier.

His works have been acquired by individuals in the USA, Spain, France, Australia, Mexico, Lebanon, Germany, Italy, England, Venezuela, Russia and Egypt, in addition to the Arab Centre Museum, Paris, the Titograd Museum, Yugoslavia, and the Museum of Contemporary Islamic Art in Amman, Jordan. 

Mustafa Abdel-Moaty works are on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art and the Cairo Opera House in Cairo. 

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly