'East...West' art exhibition

Artist Taha Hussein was born in Gamalia on 14 February, 1929 and raised in the historical districts of Al Azhar and Sayedna El Hussein mosques. Both areas are rich with Islamic architecture, and as places of religious and political discourse, influence culture with its social richness, political pulse and human behaviour. Living in a unique atmosphere of a special place in the Arab world inevitably contributed to the depth and religious references in his work. Having excelled in drawing at school, earning endearing nicknames, such as "the teacher of drawing," he studied with the finest art teachers of the time. Later on, Hussein joined the Applied Arts Royal College, where he completed his studies in 1951, ranking at the top of his class. The East...West exhibition will feature paintings by internationally-renowned Egyptian artist, Taha Hussein. Hussein represents the third generation of the Egyptian art movement. The exhibition celebrates his lifetime achievement with an accumulation of three years of the artist's work (2009 -2011) in the year of his 83rd birthday. Hussein says about his exhibition that it "does not relate in content and meaning to the geographical sense of a place, but rather to the cultural and creative sense behind the arts. That is, art, human creations and activities that civilizations and cultures have lived through across the ages in the 'East and West'." "For a long time," continues the artist "the relations, cultural interactions and influences between the East and West went uninterrupted, which resulted in the richness, diversity and tremendous innovation of people’s thought and culture." Programme: Exhibition pre-opening: Saturday, 3 March 1:00pm Sunday 4 March, 7:00pm Opening reception attended by the artist Sunday, 22 March, 7:00pm The exhibition will run until 29 March. Al-Masar Gallery for Contemporary Art Baehler's Mansion 157b,  26 July Street Side Entrance on Isaac Jacob Street, Ground Floor, Zamalek Hours: Saturday – Thursday, 11am-9pm Closed Fridays