Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar (Arabic:عبد الهادي الجزار; 14 March 1925 – 8 March 1966) was anEgyptianpainter. He occupies a unique position among the artists of his generation. His membership in the Contemporary Art Group elevated his status as an artist through his utilization of social commentary in addition to the group's focus on traditional, Egyptian identity.[1] This commentary is most widely recognized in his painting,The High Dam, in which he comments on the effects of modernization by the Egyptian government on society and their way of life.[2] Since his death, his work has not ceased to challenge artists, intellectuals and critics both in Egypt and abroad.
Abdel Hady Mohammad El- Gazzar was born on March 14, 1925, in the Akkabri district inAlexandria; he was son of a Sheikh, a religious scholar. In 1940, his family moved toCairo and settled in the district ofSayyida Zaynab.
At Helmiyya Secondary School, Al Gazzar attended courses at the 'artistic club’ organized by Hussein Youssef Amin, the founder of The Group of Contemporary Art, in 1944; this group constituted one of the major early attempts to ground Egyptian arts in its own culture.The artists embarked on a search for Egyptian traditions and applied folk symbols mixed with popular philosophy in order to ridEgypt's art of romantic and unrealistic traces left by the earlier Western Orientalist painters. In many ways the group drew upon their predecessor, the Art and Freedom Group—as with the continuation of the use of surrealism and abstraction. However, the Art and Freedom Group focused on the breakdown of Egyptian identity, which is where they differed.[3] Al Gazzar was a member of this group, which included other Egyptian important artists such asHamed Nada andSamir Rafi.
Before Al Gazzar discovered his passion for the arts and started attending the School of Fine Arts, he began studying for a career in Faculty of Medicine in Cairo.[4] 1950, Al Gazzar graduated from the Cairo School of Fine Arts, where he subsequently worked as an assistant professor.He had his first personal exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art in Cairo during the period December 17–24, 1951.Al Gazzar obtained two scholarships inRome,Italy, in 1954 and in 1957. He obtained a diploma from the School of Art and Restoration of Rome. He visited schools ofFine Arts inEngland,France and Italy. In his early years, Al Gazzar's choice of medium was crayon or ink on paper, before moving to painting in his later years.[5]
From 1958 to 1965, Al Gazzar participated in many national and international exhibitions, winning several medals and prizes. At one Contemporary Art Group exhibition, he and his mentor, Hussein Youssef Amin, got arrested for the political commentary in their works.[6] In 1965, shortly before his death, he participated for the second time in the Alexandria Biennial.
He died in 1966 due to a heart attack, he was 40 or 41 years old.[7]
Al Gazzar tended to use oil paints on canvas in paper, as well as watercolor and ink, although he doesn't limit himself to just those media. Occasionally he indulged in some mixed media as well.
Some of his works include
1948, The world of shells
1951, An Ear of Mud, An Ear of Paste
1952, Word of Love
1955, Abstraction
1961, The Stanger's
Al Gazzar seems to have many untitled art pieces.[8]
The most popular art piece of his is An Ear of Mud, An Ear of Paste. This piece was made with oil on paper. This art piece is a prime example of Al Gazzars artistic style and influence. He gets inspired by mystical, religious aspects of others and the world. His work often reflects social political issues that take place in Egypt .[9]
One of his paintings titled "Inspired by the Red Sea Lighthouses" in 1964, was lost when it was on display on loan to the EgyptianMinistry of Culture in 1971. However, the art piece was found hanging in a coffee shop, and later retrieved to theGezira Center for Modern Art in June 2022.[10]
Sobhy Al Sharouny :"Abdel Hadi AlGazzar: The Strangers", Copyright Dr. Sobhy Al Sharouny. 1961.
Sobhy Al Sharouny: "Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar the Artist of the Legend and Space World", National Publication House. 1966.
Badr El Din Abu Ghazi: "Generations of Pioneers", Publications of Fine Arts Fans Society. 1975.
Ezz El Din Naguib: "Modern Egyptian Art Dawn", Beirut, Arab Future House. 1982.
Samia Mehrez: "Abdel Hadi al-Gazzar: an Egyptian Painter", translation from Arabic to English of the poetry by and about the Egyptian painter Al Gazzar in a collective, trilingual volume on his life and work. Dar al Mustaqbal al Arabi. 1990. pp. 28–45.
Alain and Christine Roussillon: " Egyptian Painter Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar", Arab Future Publication House. 1990.
Samir Gharib: "Surrealism in Egypt", General Egyptian Book Authority. 1996.
Sherifa Zuhur: "Colors of Enchantment: Theater, Dance, Music, and the Visual Arts of the Middle East", AUC Press. 1998.(Modern Painting in the Mashriq, Hussein, 1989, p. 37).
Sabri Mansour: "Plastic Studies: Series of Plastic and Prospects", General Authority of Cultural Palaces. 2000.
Liliane Karnouk: "Modern Egyptian Art 1910-2003", AUC Press, 2003.
Venetia Porter: "Arab artists' appropriation of modernity", British Museum Press. 2006.
Sobhy Al-Sharouny, Abdel Hadi Al-Gazzar, Cairo, 2007 (illustrated in colour, p. 89).
^Kane, Patrick (2010). "Art Education and the Emergence of Radical Art Movements in Egypt: The Surrealists and the Contemporary Arts Group, 1938–1951".The Journal of Aesthetic Education.44 (4):95–119.doi:10.1353/jae.2010.0010.ISSN1543-7809.S2CID191991189.
^Shalem, A. (2010-06-28). "Exceeding Realism: Utopian Modern Art on the Nile and Abdel Hadi Al-Gazzar's Surrealistic Drawings".South Atlantic Quarterly.109 (3):577–594.doi:10.1215/00382876-2010-007.ISSN0038-2876.
^Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar (Egyptian, Alexandria 1925–1966 Cairo) (1951),An Ear of Mud, An Ear of Paste, retrieved2025-04-28{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
