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
2019, Abu 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