CAIRO: Art is a beautiful thing that can make any place come to life. It is something to be admired and appreciated. In Egypt, we have some outstanding artists, and one tries not to miss their exhibitions.
Lately, I have discovered one place that acts as a beautiful museum of Egyptian art, presenting modern day paintings and sculptures reflecting today s culture. The Four Seasons Nile Plaza has a large, stunning collection from many of the country’s most acclaimed artists.
The theme the hotel is going for is, “a sense of Egyptian connection in a contemporary way, explains Nahda Khory of the Zamalek Art Gallery, who collected the art for the hotel.
The hotel, along with the art gallery, has published a book with all the paintings displayed in the hotel s rooms, restaurants, hallways and lobby. The book is entitled, “Art at the Plaza and will officially be launched in September 2006.
The majority of the art work is genuine and not specially commissioned, except for a few pieces.
When you first enter the lobby, it is hard to miss the big yellow abstract painting by Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny, which has been exhibited at the Metropolitan museum and in National Geographic.
On its right hand side is another masterpiece by fellow artist Farghali Abdel Hafiz from Upper Egypt. This painting is one out of four rare pieces, two of which are on display at the Nile City Towers, and the fourth is part of a private collection.
In the business center there is only one painting, but alone it gives the center so much vibrancy it doesn’t need company. The painting by Effat Naghi is full of energy. The colorful characters are a representation of the “Sha’b (The People). You can’t help but remembering “El Layla El Kibeera (The Great Night).
When you walk to the reception area in front of the restaurants, there is another gorgeous piece by Abdel Hafiz from his collection of Florence. The mesmerizing painting represents his perception of the whole city on a single canvas. Dominated by hues of pink, the painting features a striking woman, who at first glance looks Italian, but when you look a little closer has distinctly Egyptian features.
The restaurants each have a different art theme. The Italian restaurant Bella has framed sketches of Abdel Hafiz’s Florence works; well-matched to the restaurant s Italian ambiance. Aqua, the seafood restaurant, has a colorful collection of seaside painting by Ahmed Abdel Kerim and glass fish and boats which are originals of Zakaria El-Khonani.
Again, in the restaurant Steaks, featured artwork accentuates the different atmosphere with a beautiful painting by Mostafa Abdel Moety. And photographer Berry Iverson created a special collection of black and white pictures of cows, an innovative idea. He also took a stunning picture of a Bedouin girl, hung in the restaurant, which is the cover of the book.
In Spice, the Chinese restaurant, the paintings are also commissioned by Syrian artists living in Egypt. The paintings are clever, using Arabic calligraphy in a way as to mimic the style of Chinese calligraphy.
The bar, which is simply named The Bar, has a very special collection of photographs. Van Leo, an American photographer who lived all his life in Egypt, has an unbelievable series of works of pictures of Egyptian stars from the 60’s. Some are of glamorous movie stars like Faten Hamama and Roshdy Abaza, others of influential intellectuals like Taha Hussein.
And there s more.
Hidden, unfortunately, between the restaurants is a gorgeous green painting by Salah Taher, very different from his normal works of art. On the stairs on your way down from the restaurants is a huge painting by Omar El Nagdy. This one was commissioned by the hotel because it had to be painting in the form of a curve specifically tailored to fit that space.
The pottery in that area is all my Mohammed Mandour, and the space they are displayed on was actually tailored for their exhibition. The sculptures in the lobby and in the restaurant areas are all by Mohammed Risk.
All I have mentioned does not sum up half the art work in the Plaza, but simply gives an idea of the affluent compilation they possess. Collecting all these masterpieces took three years, and the effort is clear, as the art work is not simply decorative but very rich in culture, equivalent to that of a well formed museum.
