Abdel Badie

The Gezira Art center is currently displaying Abdel Badie sculptures.
Abdel Badie Abdel Hay was found killed in his atelier in Old Cairo quarter on July 5th 2004 at the age of 88. He had been killed by two youngsters under influence who thought that they would find no resistance in such an old man and a lot of money in such a well known artist home. That was the fate of the boy who was born in 1916 in a village of Minieh.



Abdel Badie started working as a cook in the early 30's in Malawi. His talent as a sculptor appeared later when he tried to join the Egyptian Royal army he was beaten by the British officer in charge after he complained about his being turned down. In a moment of rage he found his path, while playing with a bone doing his first sculpture "Private Abdel Badie" where he portrayed himself beating the offending officer.
He only stopped sculpting when he lost most of his eyesight in the 90's.



In the early 40's he was drawn to the attention of fellow Miniawi Hoda Shaarawi (incidentally nominated as one of the 30 most influential women of the last millenium), who sensing a great talent decided to take him as a cook in her house in Cairo.
While in Cairo nearer to the capital's lights, he started exhibiting in sculpting competitions, being often chosen by the different juries as a winner.
At the death of his benefactor, he opted to go for a couple of years to learn sculpting from the Pharaonic masters in Luxor instead of the Academie in Paris.







When he came back to Cairo, he started executing statues for other artists.
1956 was a bad year, for in spite receiving the honorary prize for the Afro-Asian exhibition, he was incapacitated in a work accident, leading him into a different approach to sculpture , turning to the less exhausting reliefs on Gypsum boards that consist of his series called "the complaints".
In 1973, he was granted the medal of Science and Art by Anwar El Sadat.