Born in Cairo in 1958, studied painting from 1976 at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Helwan University in Cairo and graduated in 1981 at the Mural Painting Section. From 1982 until 1985 Essam Marouf studied at Accademia di Bella Arte in Roma.
He lives and works between Cairo and Amsterdam.
Essam Marouf has shown his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the world at venues that include, Menasart Art Fair (Art Sawa Gallery), Beirut 2011, “Contemporary Views IV”, Al Masar Gallery, Cairo 2011, “Selections”, Gallery Misr, Cairo 2011, “Muse” Ofok Gallery, Museum M. Ghalil, Cairo 2011, “Still Valid” Selection of Contemporary Egyptian Art, The American University, Cairo 2011, “Realisme” Art Fair, Galerie Smarius/ Steven Sterk, Amsterdam, “Zomergasten”, Galerie Helga Hofman, Alphen aan de Rijn, 2010, Art Paris-Abu Dhabi, (Art Sawa Gallery) Dubai 2010, “Essam Marouf, works on paper”, Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo (solo) 2010, “Unforgettable views”, Galerie Helga Hofman 2009, 11th Cairo biennale 2008, L’Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris 2008, Art Amsterdam 2008 (Smarius Gallery) and Museum Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome 2007.
Works of Essam Marouf are part of various private, corporate and museum collections locally and abroad.