Magda Abdel Razek

Magda Abdel Razek, depicted in this painting, is a character from Naguib Mahfouz’s novel el-Maraya.

About the artist:
Born in Alexandria to an aristocratic, intellectual family, Seif studied oil painting with his brother Adham, first under Arturo Zanieri—who had also been the teacher of Mahmoud Saїd—then more significantly under Ottorino Bicchi’s tutelage. the Wanly brothers, together with their friends, the painter Ahmad Fahmi and the filmmaker Mohamed Bayoumi eventually opened their own studio in Alexandria in 1935. When sculptor Ahmad Osman (1907–1970) established the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1957, Seif was appointed professor at the painting department.

For more, see the photo gallery of Egyptian modern art from Rawi magazine's Issue 8 available online (link in details).