Hussien Bicar was an Egyptian artist and teacher born on the 2nd of January 1913 in Alexandria. During his life he worked as an artist, teacher, illustrator, traveller and reporter, travelling across northern Africa and the Middle East. He received multiple awards, including the Egyptian National Certificate of Appreciation and Medal of Honour in 1980, and the Mubarak Prize in 2000, just two years before his death in 2002.
His talent for art became clear at an early age and he was teaching art already aged ten, then to women who due to cultural restrictions weren’t allowed to be taught by any grown up man. After his father’s death, his mother wanted him to develop as an artist and moved them to Cairo where Bicar could develop his talent in art schools, first as a student and later as a teacher.
Bicar was inspired by the artist Mahmud Mukhatar, who is said to be the first modern Egyptian artist, who wanted to created Egyptian art inspired by the spirituality in Egyptian culture, and not the physicality of traditional Greek or Roman art. What is interesting with Bicar’s style in art is that he didn’t limit himself to what art he was creating. From contemporary art defined by his pure and simple lines to children’s illustrations, Bicar is famous for having realized that all societies and cultures are connected, yet that it is important to create art acknowledging one’s cultural heritage.
Source:
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