Dal Cairo a Roma. Visual Arts and Transcultural Interactions between Egypt and Italy

Abstract

Abstract Cross-cultural interactions between Egypt and Italy have had a significant impact on Egyptian modern art. By the end of the nineteenth century many Italian painters had established their studios in Cairo and Alexandria and worked as professors in art schools. They were committed to the institutionalization of the artistic practice, in particular, in the conception of the School of Fine Arts in Cairo established by Prince Youssef Kamal in 1908. Additionally, a number of young Egyptians belonging to the generation of the so-called “pioneers” received grants to study art in Italy, in particular in Rome and Florence. These ties were strengthened by the political climate and the diplomatic relationships between the Egyptian monarchy and the Italian government. This article proposes to examine the impact on visual culture created by the mobility of artists and circulation of images between Egypt and Italy. In this context, it aims to shed light on transnational exchanges and networks generated by spaces of cultural encounters or “contact zones” during the first quarter of the twentieth century.