Overview

Gazbia Sirry is considered one of the leading Egyptian artists of its modern Art history, with a colourful and exemplary career of more than 50 years. Her vast body of artwork is rich and diversified, characterized by extraordinary versatility. It would be difficult to confine Gazbia Sirry to any one particular school, although her vivid and bold brushstrokes share features with neo-expressionism: a school of individuality and personality. With a vibrant curriculum vita, including more than 50 personal exhibitions from Paris to Washington, Venice to Sao Paolo, Kuwait to Tunis, official purchases by international museums, international prizes, scholarships and important university positions, Gazbia Sirry paints for the sheer love of art, and as her most honest manner of expressing her joys and fears. Describing her art, Mokhtar El Attar said: "Gazbia does not paint, but rather pours her soul, talent and intelligence onto the canvas". Ex-Professor of Painting, Faculty of Art Education, Helwan University, Cairo (till 1981). Ex-Professor of Painting, American University in Cairo (1980-1981). Studies: Diploma Fine Arts, (5 years studies) High Institute of art education for Women , Cairo 1948 and Diploma art education , Cairo, 1949 Post graduate study of painting with Marcel Gromaire, Paris 1951, Rome Italy 1952, Slade College, London University, U.K. 1954/55. Prizes: Prize of Rome 1952. Honorary Prize, Venezia Biennale 1956. Honorary Prize for Creative Painting, Cairo 1957. Second Prize (lithography) Alexandria Biennale 1959. First Prize (Painting) Alexandria Biennale 1963. First Prize, Salon du Caire 1960. Fourth great Prize of International Contemporary Art, Monaco, 1968.State Prize and Order of Sciences and Arts of First Degree, 1970. Prize of Cairo Opera for Quadruple Tapestry Design, 1990. State Merit Prize, 1999. Fellowships: -Prize of Rome Fellowship for postgraduate studies in Italy 1952. -British Council Fellowship for postgraduate studies, Slade College. University of London 1954/55. -State Fellowships for creative artists, 1962-66, 1969-71. -Hartford Foundation, Los Angeles, U.S.A, 1965. -Deutscher Akadermischer Austauchidient, (DAAD) Berlin 1975. -Fulbright Senior Fellowship and National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C., U.S.A. March-July 1993. Exhibitions: -74 One man shows since 1953, in Egypt, Arab countries, Europe & North America. -Group & international Exhibitions since 1950 in Egypt & Abroad. -Group Exhibitions including: London Group, New Burlington Galleries, 1954, Egyptian contemporary art, Musée Galeria, Paris, 1971. Egypt Today, Washington D.C., Houston, Los Angeles. USA, 1981. Egyptian contemporary art, Institute du Monde Arabe, Paris, 1999. -International Exhibitions including: Biennale Venezia, 1952, 56, 58, 84. Biennale Sao Paolo, 1953, 63. Biennale Alexandria, 1959, 61, 63. Guest of Honor to Cairo 7th International Biennale, 1998 and to Alexandria Biennale XXIII for the Mediterranean Countries 2005. -Also representing Egypt in the Right to Hope Exhibition on Occasion of the 50th anniversary of UN & UNESCO circulating in Johannesburg Nairobi, Cairo, Amman & other capitals, 1995/1996. -Short Century Exhibition of Contemporary African Art (1945-1994) contemporary art museums in Munich, Berlin, Chicago, New York, 2001/2002. -Christies Dubai Sale: International modern and contemporary art 2006, 2007 etc. -”Art is my life” retrospective exhibition in ZAMALEK ART GALLERY, Cairo, Egypt, 2016. Acquisitions: -Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A. -Modern Art Museums, Special Collection، Cairo, and Alexandria, Egypt. -Art & Science Museum, Evansville, Indiana, U.S.A. -National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.,U.S.A. -Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France. -Musée D’Art Vivant, Tunis, Tunisia. -Non-Alignment Countries Museum, Titograd (Yugoslavia), ALECSO, Tunis. -Fine Arts Colleges, Alexandria, Cairo & Menya, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Egyptian Embassies abroad, The National Bank of Egypt, The Arab Bank, Cairo, Opera House, Great Conference Hall in Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh, Great Cairo Library, Mubarak Giza Library, High Council for Culture, Journalists’ Syndicate, Hotels Cairo and Private Collections in Egypt, Arab Countries, Europe, Asia, Africa, U.S.A. and Canada, including Mme Francine Henrich’s Collection, Vernon, France , Al Ahram Newspaper, American University in Cairo. Gazbia Sirry Museum, Al- Shona Art Centre Agamy, Alexandria, Egypt and Qatar Museum for Modern Arab Art Museum. Arab League for Education, Culture and Science, Tunis. Memberships: -London group. 1954/55. Egyptian Syndicate for Plastic Artists. Societe Des Amis d’Art. -Egyptian Society for Graphic Artists. Association of Cairo Atelier for Writers and Artists. -International Association of Art Critics (AICA). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. References: Aime Azar: La Peinture Moderne en Egypte, Cairo 1961. Naim Attia: The Loving Eye, Cairo 1976. Encyclopedie de la Peinture, Editions Robert, Paris 1976. Petit Larousse la Peinture, Paris 1979. Dictionary of International Biography, from Vol XVII on, Cambridge U.K1981. Who Is Who for Women, U.K,Cambridge U.K1982. Gazbia Sirry: a book published by the General Organization for Information, Cairo, 1989. Who Is Who in the Arab world, U.K. Liliane Karnouk: Contemporary Egyptian Art, American University in Cairo Press 1995, and 2005 editions. Mokhtar Al Attar: Pioneers of Art and Frontiers of Enlightenment, Cairo 1996. Several articles in Egyptian and foreign books, newspapers & magazines including: the Short Century –Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa 1945-1994. Edited by Okwal Envezor, Prestel. ChikaOkeke-Agulu:"Politics by Other Means-Two Egyptian Artists, Gazbia Sirry and Ghada Amer, Meridian, 2006, Vol 6, No 2, P 117-149, MA, USA. Jessica Wineger: "Creative Reckonings", Stanford University Press, CA2006, USA. Gazbia Sirry: Lust for Color, Book published by the American University Press in Cairo, 230pp., 1998, 130 color plates, 50 black and white, articles by eminent critics from Egypt & abroad. A Documentary Film: National Center for Documentary Films Ministry of Culture, 1992, Artistic life of Gazbia Sirry: Several programs by Egyptian and Arab TV since 1982. Internet, Many sites. One of 10 artists from Islamic World, Contemporary Islamic Art Site. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A. Library of Congress, Washington D.C., U.S.A