Van Gogh
is Innocent
Mohsen Shaalan
OPENING RECEPTION N O V E M B E R 2 8 TH 2 0 1 7 EXHIBITION N O V E M B E R 2 8 TH D E C E M B E R 1 2 TH 2 0 1 7
Mohsen Shaalan Bio Born in Cairo, Egypt in 1951 Bachelor of Art and Education in 1974 1989 – 1993
Director of the Technical Office at National Center of Fine Arts
1993 – 1995
General Director of Art Studios and Houses of Creation
1995 – 2000
General Director of Traditional Handicrafts Centers
2001 – 2002
Head of the Central Administration of Art Production Center
2002 – 2006
Head of the Central Administration of Museums Exhibitions
2006 – 2010
Senior Deputy Minister of Culture, Head of Fine Arts Sector
Since 1973 Shaalan held several solo and group exhibitions in the most important official and private galleries. Shaalan’s work was acquired by a number of international and local museums, such as the US Congress Library Museum in Washington, Al-Ahram Newspaper, the Cairo Opera House, the Goethe Institute in Cairo. Youssef Shaalan died 2014 in Cairo.
Van Gogh is Innocent
ArtTalks is presenting an homage to Mohsen Shaalan, the late artist and former Head of the Fine Arts Sector who passed away in 2014 at the age of 63, in a retrospective exhibition: “Van Gogh is Innocent “. This exhibition showcases paintings retracing his path in the Egyptian art scene side by side with his controversial prison experience, the artwork he created during his year in prison in the chaotic years of 2011 revolution for his presumed involvement in the disappearance of Van Gogh’ s famous painting: The Poppy Flowers. Shaalan was an expressionist artist . But essential factors like symbols and personification were used in his paintings to create a surrealist sense. “Art gives you the freedom to use symbols that no one can take away from you.” Mohsen Shaalan In 2010, Shaalan adapted to his reaality behind bars and capitalized on it to provide him with a bowl of inspiration. Through paint and pencils he unleashed his frustrations and heartbreak, culminating in a series of oil paintings and ink drawings that simultaneously document the mundane details of the days he spent in behind bars – his new studio.He recounted with a sense of nostalgia his experience with an omni-present black cat, embodying a different sin in his artworks to symbolize injustice. During the January revolution he found companionship in figures of the old regime including Alaa Mubarak, Ahmed Ezz, Amin Abaza, among others during his stay in prison with whom he fraternized and built a delightful companionship and became a personal friend to many. Despite the
by Fatenn Mostafa painting collection’s dark undertones, a ray of light is seen in the illustrations of the inmates “hanging out” in prison. The prisoners would mingle from 7am to 5pm, at which point Shaalan would retreat to his cell and start to unleash the day’s energy, painting and writing into the night. Shalaan was born in Cairo on 14 April 1951, and received his BA in Art and Education in 1974. He held several positions at the culture ministry, the last of which was his appointment in 2006 as head of the Fine Arts Sector, a body responsible for several art institutions and museums. Shalaan’s work was acquired by a number of international and local museums, such as the US Congress Library museum in Washington, Al-Ahram newspaper, the Cairo Opera House, the Goethe Institute in Cairo, among others. He also supported Egyptian artists, and tirelessly worked to set up a museum for renowned Egyptian artist Inji Efflatoun at the historical Amir Taz Palace. Shalaan also worked to restore various rundown cultural venues in Egypt, including the Aisha Fahmy Palace, the Rateb Sedeek Art Gallery, and the 1952 Revolution Heroes Museum, as well as the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum. He was a scape-goat over the theft of a multi-million dollar painting by Dutch post-Impressionist Vincent Van Gogh. The Poppy Flowers painting was being displayed in the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, home to one of the most significant collections of 19th and 20th century European art in the Middle East. He was presumed guilty then released.
The Investigation Oil on canvas 110 x 110 cm 2010
If only it was a Model, Oil on canvas 130 x 90 cm 2010
Drawing X, Ink on paper 50 x 42 cm 2010
Shaalan’s Document, Pen, black ink on paper 2015
Untitled, Oil on canvas 200 x 150 cm 2013
Untitled, Oil on canvas 100 x 70 cm 2009
Drawing IX, Ink on paper 50 x 42 cm 2010
Drawing XI, Ink on paper 50 x 42 cm 2010
Drawing XXII, Pencil, watercolor on paper 42 x 55 cm 2012
Drawing XIII, Pencil, watercolor on paper 55 x 42 cm 2012
À Bas Les Masques, Ink on paper 50 x 42 cm 2013
Drawing IV, Ink on paper 50 x 42 cm 2010
Van Gogh
is Innocent
Mohsen Shaalan Catalogue Published on the occasion of the show Van Gogh is Innocent Mohsen Shaalan 28th November 2017 ArtTalks | Egypt Coordinators Lisa Lounis Cherine Chafik Graphic Concept & Realization Omar Mobarek Text Fatenn Mostafa Photographs Lisa Lounis Printing Concorde Press
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