Adam Henein

B. 1929 - D. 2020

 

Adam Henein lived and worked in Cairo and Aswan.

 

Known as one of Egypt's most prominent sculptors, Henein distinguishes himself  with his body of work, that draws together universal themes with references to Egyptian icons like pyramids and hieroglyphs.

 

Henein graduated with a degree in sculpture from the School of Fine Arts in Cairo, 1953. He then continued his training in Munich and Paris, where he lived until 1996, spending his time there refining his painting practice alongside his sculptural work.

 

After 25 years Henein returned to Egypt where he offered significant contribution to his country’s cultural scene. Between 1989 and 1998 he led the restoration of The Great Sphinx in Giza, drawing on his skills as a sculptor to determine how the monument was originally carved. In 1996 he established the International Sculpture Symposium in Aswan.

 

Celebrated for his sculptures that transform solid materials like bronze, wood, clay, and granite into elegant, modernist forms, Henein is also known for his drawings made up of vivid geometric lines on papyrus.

 

As well as Egypt, Henein has exhibited across the Middle East, Europe, and at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Egyptian State Merit Award for the Arts (1998) and the Mubarak Art Award (2014).

 

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019, Adam Henein: Lasting Impressions, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019, The Selection, Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt

2019Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi, UAE

2018, A Century in Flux, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE

2017, Modern Art from the Middle East, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, US

2016, The Short Century, Sharjah Museum, Sharjah, UAE

2015, Linked Itineraries, Reminiscences and Representations, Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

2014, Paintings, Sculptures & Projects Garden, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
2014, Sky Over The East, Emirates Palace, UAE

2013, RE: Orient, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE

2010, Peripheral Vision, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE

2000, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York, US

1999, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York, US

1991, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France

1988, ASB Gallery, Munich, Germany

1987, Egyptian Cultural Center, Paris, France

1983, Sultan Gallery, Kuwait

1980, Egyptian Academy, Rome, Italy

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

2004, Moubarak Prize, Egypt

1998, Egyptian State Merit Award, Egypt

 

PUBLICATIONS

2006, Adam Henein, Edouar Al-Kharrat, Michael Gibson, Fatma Ismail

 

COLLECTIONS

Adam Henein Museum, Haret al Harani, Egypt
Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, US
The Museum of Egyptian Modern Art, Cairo, Egypt
The Khalid Shoman Collection, Amman, Jordan

 

SELECTED PRESS

2020, The Art Newspaper, Adam Henein—the Egyptian sculptor who spent a decade restoring the Great Sphinx—has died, aged 91

2016, Christies, Collecting guide: Ancient Egyptian bronzes