It was in Upper Egypt that Saad discovered, after carefully observing the sun's reflections on the ancient temples and monuments, the intrinsic and eternal value of the line.
Nahmeya Saad was born in Assiut, Upper Egypt. He studied painting at the Higher School of Fine Arts, studying under Bernard Rice, professor of graphic art. It was under Rice that Saad developed his skills in lithography, however, he was unmistakably both a student and master of the esteemed European schools of impressionism and expressionism. He married this style, which flowed naturally from his remarkably tasteful and refined brushstrokes with his own personal touch of Egyptian-inspired flair. Many of Saad’s works were exhibited at the Salon du Caire exhibitions. In 1937 he was commissioned to produce decorative panels for the main entrance of the Egyptian Pavilion of the Paris International Exhibition and was awarded the exhibition’s gold medal.
In conjunction with Mohamed Naghi (1888-1956), Mohamed Labib and Margot Veillon (1907-2003), he made illustrations for the tourist book Egypt: Land of Exploration, amongst others, which was produced on the occasion of the Paris exhibition. Saad devoted himself and his career to depicting Upper Egypt in his Luxor studio, producing some of his finest works. His exceptional lithography is imbued with a distinctly Pharaonic character; It was in Upper Egypt that Saad discovered, after carefully observing the sun's reflections on the ancient temples and monuments, the intrinsic and eternal value of the line. The delicate dance of soft and dark shadow and of volatile light depicted in many of Saad’s lithographic pieces is one that he captured expertly.
Unfortunately, Saad’s relatively short life is the main reason for his lack of recognition relative to his supreme talent as an artist; he died of a pulmonary disease at the age of thirty-three. Saad’s application and composition of oil was of a caliber that we can now only long for with nostalgia in an age that has forgotten the sheer expertise of such technique and more importantly the incomparable beauty it produced.