7 - 13 March 2002
Issue No.576
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 7 - 13 March 2002 Issue No.576 |
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Pack of Cards
I had a big smile on my face, my dears, when I heard the news. My good friend Farouk Hosni, Minister of Culture, and painter by passion, inaugurated on Saturday his new exhibition, Tasaweer (Paintings) at the Akhenaten Gallery in Zamalek's National Centre for Fine Arts. As I expected, the display was remarkable -- a reflection of true talent complimented by much time and effort. The exhibition, which runs until 16 March, displays 27 abstract, non-figurative paintings showing Hosni's recent oeuvre echoing the French abstract movement of the '40s. The artist's eye is portrayed in the electric brush-strokes combined together to form a rich and harmonious composition.
The exhibition was attended by many writers, artists, intellectuals, and officials -- all, like myself, great admirers of Hosni's work. Guests included writer Fatheya El- Assal, art critic Ahmed Fouad Selim, Director of the Giza Plateau and Bahariya Oasis Zahi Hawwas, actors Nour El- Sherif, Ezzat El-Aalayli, Hisham Abdel-Hamid, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassador and actor Adel Imam, archaeological consultant at the Ministry of Culture Gaballa Ali Gaballa, Undersecretary for Foreign Cultural Relations and director of the Cairo International Film Festival Cherif El-Choubashi, and actresses Madiha Youssri and Elham Shahine. The even better news: mid -October the collection will be exhibited in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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After the smashing success of the Arabic Serious Music Festival organised by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra at the Cairo Opera House last month, the orchestra, led by its principal conductor, our friend maestro Ahmed El-Saedi, is going after more success by holding a Beethoven Festival. On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the death of the great German composer Ludvig Van Beethoven (1770-1827), the orchestra will play Beethoven's complete works in a series of concerts that started on 2 Marchand will run to 28 April at the opera's main and small halls. Beethoven's music represents for many the supreme example of the late classical period and the beginning of romanticism. In works like the third symphony and the Emperor piano concerto, he gave new life to traditional forms. The festival will present five concerts including the composer's nine symphonies and four chamber music concerts featuring his piano trios and string quartets. Among several soloists participating in the festival are consummate and international pianist Ramzi Yassa, soprano Tahiya Shamseddin, alto Jolly Faizy and tenor Tamer Tawfiq, who will perform Beethoven's ninth symphony. The A Cappella Choir, trained by its choir master Maya Gvineria, will also take part. Certainly an event to be witnessed, my dears.
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Lesley Lababidi, author of Paddle Your Own Canoe: An American Woman's Passage into Nigeria and Lisa Sabbahy, PhD in Egyptian archaeology, have compiled a unique Cairo guide specifically designed for families with children. Published by AUC press, Cairo: The Family Guide is divided into city areas, each with a historic overview, detailed guide to activities, places of interest, maps and plans. Lababidi explains in its introduction that The Family Guide is an attempt to create a starting point for expatriates who have been in the country for some time, families and young people to begin exploring Cairo. My dears, this book, I am sure, will become a treasure.
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My dear friend Ketty Abdel-Malek will once again bring to us a wonderful collection of her mosaic and paintings. The exhibition, which opens on 17 March at El-Hanager Art Centre, will be inaugurated by Hoda Wasfy and Ahmed Nawar. I do look forward to this event, and the chance to acquire another of my dear friend's exquisite works.
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Darlings, it is such a joy to the Weekly family to share with you the next piece of good news. Our cherished colleague Ezzat Ibrahim, from Al-Ahram's foreign desk, graduated from Sussex University last month with a masters degree in international relations. Congratulations!
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Minister of Environment Mamdouh Riyad has visited the Chinese-Egyptian Friendship Garden in Sadat City, Menoufiya. He was accompanied by a Chinese delegation headed by Zhuo, mayor of Shenzhen, and specialising in environmental affairs. The event, my dears, was delightful, especially upon each guest's planting of a tree.
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These strokes are juxtaposed, alluding to flat perspectives, with a development of vertical, and narrative signs. Bright yellow dabs, white dribbles, red dots on a predominantly cold background, are also the theme of many exhibited paintings.
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