Lot 40: Omar El-Nagdi (Egypt, 1931-2019) Le Chat

Omar El-Nagdi (Egypt, 1931-2019)
Le Chat bronze sculptureexecuted circa 1970170 x 20cm (66 15/16 x 7 7/8in).

Provenance:Property from the private collection of H.E Ambassador Francine HenrichExhibited:Paris, Institut du Monde Arabe, Omar El Nagdi, 1994Bonhams is delighted to present this rare and elegant sculpture by the prominent Egyptian artist Omar El Nagdi. The artist was born in Cairo in 1931 and studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Helwan University. Nagdi continued his training in Russia and Italy, eventually graduating from the Academy of Venice in 1967. A prodigious pioneer in Egyptian art history, In the 1960s Nagdi exhibited in Europe alongside the Western masters Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dal. His works were soon acquired by leading institutions around the world. An active member of Cairo's art community and of the Liberal Artists' group headed by Taha Hussein, Nagdi was an extraordinary painter and who equally excels as a film director and music composer. A multi-disciplinary artist, Nagdi worked with sculpture, oil, watercolour and mosaics. Inspired by the diverse cultures that he encountered in rural Egypt, he fused in his works the Pharaonic and Islamic iconography with Cairo's urban culture idioms and Western aesthetics. His works visually enigmatic and captivating and inspired by folk art and traditions are reflections on everyday life in Egypt.His paintings are sufficient proof of his exceptional gifts for symbolic design and the splendid use of colour. Through his expressive textures, colours and symbolic elements, his works offer a communication that is deeply felt.The present lot comes to the market from the distinguished collection of H.E Ambassador Francine Henrich. Le Chat was executed in welded bronze in circa 1970 and was exhibited at the artist's major retrospective at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris in 1994. Showcasing Nadgi's mastery of shapes and material, the present work is visually captivating and aesthetically fascinating. Following his success at the Venice Biennale in 1968, Nagdi was granted an award later that same year at the Alexandria Biennale in Egypt for his sculptures. Mostly recognised for his paintings, Omar El Nagdi's sculptures are rare and as such, the present lot is one of his earlier sculptural masterpieces is undeniably a masterpiece.