‘Egypt’s Picasso’ George Bahgory celebrated with new exhibition and books

About 25 of his masterpieces are on display at the Art Talks gallery in Cairo until Friday, while works over his 70-year-career will be featured in two volumes

Egyptian artist George Bahgory with his painting of legendary singer Umm Kulthum and her orchestra. Photo: Art Talks

'Seated Figure Drinking Coffee' by Bahgory, on display at Art Talks gallery in Cairo. Photo: Art Talks

Bahgory's 'The Wedding of Zuleikha' (2013) was inspired by artist Abdel Hadi El Gazzar's painting of the same name. Photo: Art Talks

A self-painting of Bahgory with his friend and colleague, surrealist painter Samir Rafi. Photo: Art Talks

Bahgory with his sculpture of Umm Kulthum at the George Bahgory Museum in downtown Cairo. Nada El Sawy / The National

Paintings at the entrance of the George Bahgory museum in downtown Cairo, which he opened in 2019. Nada El Sawy / The National

The private George Bahgory museum features more than 120 artworks in seven rooms. Nada El Sawy / The National

Bahgory's work has Cubist and Expressionist influences. Nada El Sawy / The National

Bahgory's work displayed at Art Talks gallery includes his imitation of Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' and a portrait of Van Gogh with bandaged ears. Nada El Sawy / The National

Bahgory began his career as a political cartoonist for weekly magazines. Nada El Sawy / The National

About 25 of Bahgory's masterpieces were on display at Art Talks gallery in February 2022. Nada El Sawy / The National

Bahgory signing books at the Art Talks exhibition opening, surrounded by his works and accompanied by an oud player. Nada El Sawy / The National

Bahgory's self-portrait on display at Art Talks gallery in Zamalek, Cairo. Nada El Sawy / The National

Paintings and accolades at the George Bahgory museum. Nada El Sawy / The National

Bahgory's wife Nitokriss, who he met more than 60 years ago at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo. Nada El Sawy / The National

Egyptian artist George Bahgory may be turning 90 this year, but he still knows how to have a good time.

At the opening of his exhibition at Art Talks gallery in Cairo, which runs until Friday, he signed books and drew caricatures of his female fans with a drink in his hand and a smile on his face.

“I hope when people remember me, they laugh,” Bahgory tells The National.

Over his 70-year-career, Bahgory has been a caricaturist, painter, sculptor and writer. Often referred to as "Egypt’s Picasso", his work with Cubist and Expressionist influences has been featured in dozens of exhibitions both internationally and at home.

About 25 of his masterpieces are on display at Art Talks in Zamalek this week and one of two books featuring a majority of his artwork has been released. The first volume includes oil on canvas paintings while the second volume will contain his works on paper.

Art Talks founder Fatenn Mostafa-Kanafani wrote the words for both volumes, as well as a retrospective called Upside Down (named after the way Bahgory prefers to draw) that was published last month.

The masterpieces are on loan from the George Bahgory museum, which opened in Downtown Cairo in 2019, but is only available for viewing by appointment.

The private museum, set in a 600-square-metre apartment with seven rooms, is filled with more than 120 artworks dating from the early 1950s. It includes paintings, sculptures, drawings and sketchbooks that he calls “carnets de voyages”.

“These are my entire life,” Bahgory says.

Bahgory and his wife of more than 60 years, Nitokriss, are hoping to soon relaunch the museum for the public.

“His whole life was art. He would never leave the pen, even when he was tired,” says Nitokriss.

Born in 1932 in the small village of Bahgora near Luxor where his Coptic Christian family name originates, Bahgory started drawing from a young age.

Although he repeated his senior year of high school three times, he went on to study painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo from 1951 to 1955. It is there where he met Nitokriss, who is also an artist.

In 1953, he started his career as a satiric cartoonist for weekly magazine Rose Al Youssef and later Sabah Al Khair. His cartoons drew the ire of Egyptian presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar El Sadat and other Arab leaders over the decades.

"Bahgory was courageous and politically engaged. He used art as a means to fight for justice and freedom," says Mostafa-Kanafani.

As freedom of speech became more restricted, Bahgory decided to move to France on August 25, 1969, a date he describes as his “second birth”. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris and France become his adopted home, though he went back and forth to Egypt.

Egypt was always close to his heart and a source of never-ending inspiration as shown by his works. Some of his most recognisable ones are his series of paintings and sculptures of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. He frequently painted everyday people, such as street and orchestra musicians, belly dancers, vegetable and bread sellers.

“[Bahgory] always seems to be in a hurry, as though he is trying to capture the moment, live that instant, and not miss the smile, the crowd, the music, the people, his people, our people,” writes Mostafa-Kanafani in Upside Down.

In some of his paintings, he imitates the works of Arab pioneers such as Mahmoud Said, Abdel Hadi El Gazzar and Ahmed Sabri in his own Bahgory style. He does the same with renowned artists' works such as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait.

Beyond the private museum, Bahgory’s work is scattered among private collections and has been offered at auction several times. Musicians, sold at Christie’s Dubai in 2014, recorded the highest price of his auctioned works at $37,500.

Now Bahgory is more concerned with preserving his unique legacy. He says that even if he is forever known as "Egypt's Picasso", that is "a good thing, of course".