El Hussein Fawzi Egyptian, 1905-1999

Born in Helmia district, Cairo on September 4, 1905, El Hussein Fawzi was known in Egypt and the Middle East for his pioneering work in the field of journalistic graphic arts. Fawzi began his artistic studies in 1922 at the School of Fine Arts, studying oil painting. In 1928 he won the first prize at an art competition for which he received an art fellowship at the printing school in Paris, followed by his lithography diploma in 1932. He also studied lithography at the Estienne School in Paris. Fawzi was an artist and professor of oil painting before joining the Paris Higher School of Arts and Decoration from which he received a diploma in 1933. He was awarded an honorary degree for an oil painting exhibited at the 1939 French Salon.

Although Fawzi was recognised as a graphic artist, he was also an accomplished painter in the classical sense. Upon his return to Egypt, he founded the Department of Graphic Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts and later was appointed director of the department, a position he held until his retirement. He also supervised the studio of fine arts in Luxor from 1954 to 1960. Throughout his career Fawzi was the recipient of several awards, including the State Prize and Order of Sciences and Arts (1963), the Lithography prize at the Alexandria Biennale (1963) and the State Prize of Merit (1989). 

Fawzi generated multiple illustrations for stories written by Naguib Mahfouz which were published in Al Ahram newspaper; he also documented (in watercolour and drawings) many of the large mosques of Egypt; these works were published across two volumes. Fawzi's most renowned painting El Dalalah is considered to be one of the most beautiful paintings in the history of Egyptian modern art. He was one of four Egyptian artists to have their work engraved on crystal by the Steuben glass factory in New York (others were Gamal El Seguini (1917-1977), Hamed Abdallah (1917-1985) and Hussein Bicar (1913-2002).