Her works can be found in public collections, including the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, though she adamantly refused during her life the appellation of artist despite her acumen as such.
Kawkab was born in Shubra in 1909. After graduating from Al Saniyyah school in 1929, she left for England to study at the Hornsey school of Art in north London as the recipient of a scholarship. Following her graduation from university in 1934, with diplomas in painting and drawing, Kawkab returned to Egypt to teach art at Al Saniyyah.
Kawkab’s role at Al Saniyyah was instrumental in that she helped to formulate the syllabus within the girls section of the college. When the boys section joined the girls section in 1959 she became head of the painting department, a post she held until her retirement in 1968. Though Kawkab insisted her real vocation was teaching she continued to paint prolifically, the two activities running in tandem. Her works can be found in public collections, including the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, though she adamantly refused during her life the appellation of artist despite her acumen as such.