Adham, much like his brother, also painted images of vivid night scenes, the circus, ballet dancers, and the opera. Those paintings were so impressive that a Le Monde correspondent wrote in one of his articles that the Wanly brothers were “the descendents of Degas."
Adham Wanly was born in Alexandria on 25 February 1908, two years after the birth of his brother Seif. The two remained close until Adham’s death on 20 December, 1959. He was born in the palace of Erfan Pasha in Muharram Beq. His father was Ismail Beq Mohamed Wanly and his grandfather Mohamed Wanly Pasha. His mother’s family was descended from the royal family of Dagestan in the Caucasus. The famous actor and theatre star Soliman Naguib was his uncle. While Cairo had its own School of Fine Arts, originally founded by Prince Youssef Kamel, Adham's hometown of Alexandria lacked this kind of educational institution and relied instead on the private studios of the many foreign artists who lived there at the time. The Wanly brothers first received their art lessons in the Studio Zanieri, and then later gaining tutelage under Antonio Becci in his own studio.
In 1934 Becci left Alexandria and shuttered his studio, he announced to the Wanly brothers that they should now begin their life as true artists. Because they were penniless, the two brothers were unable to set up their own studio until they met Mohamed Bayoumi, a pioneer of Egyptian cinema, who was keen to provide them with convenient premises for them to kickstart their budding careers. In June 1935 the studio was opened but they still faced many problems. Whenever they convinced a model to sit for them, she would leave after a few days to join the studio of another, far wealthier artist. Hence, the Wanly brothers left their work indoors and went out into the streets of Alexandria, where they painted with love all that they saw, from buildings to cafes to means of transport and beyond. They were attracted by ordinary daily life and lingered by the sea to watch its movement while admiring the fishing boats and fisherman of Alexandria. The beauty of the girls of Bahari attracted their attention, as well as the way they wore the milaya (traditional wrap), and they became engrossed in painting the movements of buying and selling in the bustling Al Attarin disctrict of Alexandria, documenting on their canvases the energy and vivaciousness of daily life.
The success of the Wanly duo began to make an impact when foreign consulates in Alexandria acknowledged their genius in art and held exhibitions for them in 1945 and in 1949. In1950 they held their first exhibition in Cairo, which was a panorama of this work organized under the theme of Alexandria By Day and Night. Adham, much like his brother, also painted images of vivid night scenes, the circus, ballet dancers, and the opera. Those paintings were so impressive that a Le Monde correspondent wrote in one of his articles that the Wanly brothers were “the descendents of Degas."
On 1 December, 1959, which was the day of the inauguration of the third Biennale of Alexandria, the minister of culture visited Adham Wanly in hospital, where he lay in agony, and a decree was issued that he should leave for the United States for medical care. Doctors had great hope for his recovery, but Wanly’s condition rapidly deteriorated and he died soon after on 20 December, 1959. His brother Seif suffered immensley after his passing, and his work took a melancholy turn.