A VIEW OF WADI EL NATROUN MONASTERIES
signed and dated in English R.AYAD / c.1965 lower left
pen and indian ink on paper
34 x 49cm; 13 1/4 x 19 1/4in
56 x 74cm; 22 x 29in (framed)

Property from an Important Private Collection, London

Provenance
Dr Mohammed Said Farsi
Thence by descent to the present owner

Literature
Dr. Sobhy Al Sharouny, A Museum in a Book: Selections From Dr Mohammed Said Farsi's Art Collection, Cairo, 1998, no. 22 / 44, pp. 74, 84, illustrated

Ragheb Ayad is celebrated as one of Egypt's most independent and bold of the First Generation of artists. He is particularly remembered for his spontaneous style of painting, which borders on caricature. A talented draughtsman, he chose to depict scenes of popular culture with raw emotion and honesty, including the fellaheen and their daily domestic village life, as well as desert monasteries and monks.

After training in Cairo and Rome, where he studied with fellow Egyptian artist Youssef Kamel, he returned to Cairo in 1930 to commence an illustrious career as a teacher and curator at many renowned institutions in addition to serving on many government committees. Appointed Department Head at the Higher School of Fine Arts in 1942, he was chosen to organise the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo and subsequently became the Curator of the Cairo Modern Museum from 1950 to 1955.

During his liftetime, Ragheb Ayad held over 40 exhibitions in Egypt and abroad and his works are held in private Egyptian and international collections, as well as institutions such as the Modern Egyptian Museum, Cairo; the Agricultural Museum in Dokki and the Museum of Fine Arts, Alexandria. Additionally, his murals adorn the walls of churches, hotels and former palaces in Egypt.