FAROUK WAHBA

Farouk Wahba was born in 1942, and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1968. He received his master’s degree in the phenomenon of alienation in contemporary painting in 1977, after which he received a scholarship to Germany from 1985 to 1988 and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1988, where he researched the role of material in the art of painting.

Wahba has taught in the painting department of the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Specific Education in Alexandria. He has served as a cultural advisor to the embassy of Egypt in Vienna, Austria in 1997. Wahba was then appointed as President of Egyptian Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in 2000.

Wahba has had many exhibitions around the world, in Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Chile, the USA and South Africa. He was recognized with an award for drawing at the National Exhibition of Egyptian Artists in 1982, the first prize in painting in 1984 and received a state incentive award for an installation in 1997.

He was also recognized internationally in 1980-1981 with the Gold Medal from the National Council in Kuwait, in 1994 with the Grand Nile Prize at the 5th Cairo International Biennale, in 1997 with first prize from Dubrovnik International Biennale of Mediterranean States, in 1999 with the Vienna Medal and in 2001 with the State Medal of Science and Arts presented by the Austrian President.

His works feature among collections in Egypt, Chile, Kuwait, Netherlands, United States, Denmark, Germany Western Australia, France, Italy, Malaysia, England, India, Greece and Russia.

Clockwise from top left:

Farouk Wahba

Family , 2004

Oil on canvas

120 x 100 cm

Farouk Wahba

Message , 1984

Mixed media, 3D

120 x 100 cm

Farouk Wahba

Embalming , 1994

Mixed media, 3D

130 x 100 cm

Images courtesy of the artist