Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum or Mukhtar Museum is a museum that displays the
works of the Egyptian artist and sculptor Mahmoud Mukhtar. Mamoud Mukhtar is
considered as one of the Egyptian arts pioneers and the father of modern
Egyptian sculpture. He was born in Egypt in Gharbia governorate and from a
young age had a talent in the arts that was visible to those around him. He studied
at the school of fine arts in Cairo when he was 17 years old, and due to his
excellence, the school’s founder, Prince Yusuf Kamal, decided to send him to
Paris to complete his education there.
While in Paris, the young artist was productive and began displaying
his art in exhibitions starting with a statue in 1913. Mukhtar had numerous
important contributions, despite his death at a young age, of which the most
important were founding the Higher School of Fine Arts, holding his own
exhibition in Paris in 1930, which was a huge success, and creating his most
important sculpture, Egypt’s Renaissance, which became a symbol of Modern
Egypt. His style was known for valuing the contemporary European style of
sculpting, while heavily being based in the Egyptian daily life and style.
Mukhtar’s museum has 85 statues made from bronze, stone, basalt, marble
granite and plaster. A lot of Egyptian personalities made a great effort to
return his works from Europe, where they were displayed at the time of his
death. Today, his museum continues to be a source of inspiration, especially
for the young Egyptian arts students.