Said El-Adawi (1938 – 1973, Alexandria, Egypt) was one of the most talented artists in his generation and his wild imagination was fed by the dramatic reality of events occurring in the 1960s. He joined the first class of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1957. He received his MA degree in Engrave Art about the Arabic Calligraphy in 1972. In the 1960s El-Adawi worked closely with Mahmoud Abdallah and Mustafa Abdel Moity, and his influence can be seen in both their work. Together they established their movement called the Alexandrian Experimentalists Society (the Tagribiyin) and staged its first exhibitions in 1965 and its foundation idea started 1958.
The figures in his paintings are treated as if they were cartoons; their appearances are distorted and abstract. These contortions resemble the work of Pablo Picasso and Joan Mirò, but are combined with calligraphic forms and motifs derived from Islamic art. Underlying El-Adawi’s abstract surrealist compositions are figural scenes with a moral message, inspired by the important political events of that time and by the sweeping social changes.
El Adawi was a member of the Syndicate of Fine Artists. He has had a number of solo shows in both Cairo and Alexandria. He participated in local as well as International exhibitions. El Adawi was the winner of the 2nd prize in Alexandria Biennale. He has acquisitions among several state collections including the Museum of the Modern Egyptian Art in Cairo, Museum of the Modern Art in Alexandria, Museum of Institute of the Arab Work in Paris & Museum of the Egyptian National Bank.
