After coming of age in the 1940s as part of the Alexandria School, a movement led by free thinkers and artists that marked the city’s emergence as a postwar Mediterranean cultural entrepot, Ahmed Morsi spent time in Baghdad before moving to Cairo in the 1960s and eventually immigrating to York in the 1970s. A painter, poet, printmaker, and critic, Morsi has created a diverse body of work abundant in mythic beauty. The Cairo journal he helped lead in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Galerie 68, became the voice of the Egyptian avant-garde, and he has also experimented with theatrical set design and artist’s books.
This volume highlights the rich interplay between Morsi’s poetry and paintings and emphasises the way his multivalent practice conducts a dialogue with the wider world. Newly commissioned scholarly essays, commentaries from his contemporaries, selections from the artist’s own writings, an interview with the artist, and numerous photographs and reproductions capture the vibrancy and impact of Morsi’s prolific career. Also included are an extensive exhibition history, bibliography, and career chronicle.
About the Editors
Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, is a curator who established the Foundation in 2009 as a catalyst and advocate for the arts in Sharjah, UAE, as well as regionally and internationally.
Dr Salah M. Hassan is an art historian, critic and curator. He is a Goldwin Smith Professor and Director of the Institute for Comparative Modernities at Cornell University. He is also an Academic Advisor to The Africa Institute.
About the Publishers
The Africa Institute is an interdisciplinary academic research institute dedicated to the study, research and documentation of Africa, its people and its cultures; its complex past, present and future; and its manifold connections with the wider world.
Sharjah Art Foundation hosts numerous activities and events throughout the year, from exhibitions featuring the work of Arab and international artists, live music and performances to film screenings and artist talks as well as extensive art education programmes for children, adults and families. Additionally, the Foundation has over the years published a range of books that include Sharjah Biennial and exhibition catalogues, books about the March Meetings and limited-edition artists’ publications.
Skira is a publishing firm founded by Albert Skira in Switzerland in 1928 and is now based in Italy. The firm is known particularly for its art books of vastly improved quality of colour reproduction.
