Gazbia Sirry

Sirry was born to an aristocratic Turkish family in 1925, and was raised with her two sisters, by both her mother and her grandmother in an elegant villa in the Helmeya neighborhood, where most of the surrounding community lived more modestly. She lost her father, Hassan Sirry Nammy, when she was four years old and her mother, Esmat El-Daly, was the one to take control of her education. Her uncles on her father's side were the ones who contributed to her introduction to art by taking her to the theater and giving her the opportunity to become familiar with the expansive library. == Education ==

Raised by two women, Sirry's maternal caregivers were tasked to bring up Sirry alone. Her mother was left a widow after Sirrys’ father's death and with that, Sirry's female leadership figures took charge of her education and played a prominent role in the empowering feminist artwork that she would create later in life. Sirry witnessed the struggle that her caretakers endured during her upbringing in Cairo. Although her mother and grandmother had no attachment directly to a man, her uncles (on her paternal side) inspired her connection to art, theater, culture, and art history. Her robust education gave her the stamina for her lengthy and successful career. == Career ==

Gazbia Sirry's career as an artist can be loosely arranged into three distinct time periods. In these works, she emphasizes the role of diverse, powerful women in Egypt as well as their importance in defining a new Egyptian Republic. She was interested in people's lives, representing marginalized groups. Sirry's paintings reflected traditions and culture, focusing on people and houses in Cairo. During this era of her artistic practice, Sirry utilized strong black contours to highlight figures on a flat plane, similar to that of Pharaonic art and Coptic icons. In 2014, Shems Friedlander, professor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of The Photographic Gallery, described Sirry as, '‘a senior Egyptian artist who is recognised on an international level. Her value to both the University and Egypt is both as an artist and a historian of Egypt’s culture for over 60 years. She has both joined and led the trends in Egyptian art for several decades." In 2016, Sirry held her last exhibition titled 'Art Is My Life' which reflected on her 68 year long career, showcasing works from the 1940s to 2010. Sirry's paintings permanently reside at the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art in Cairo, the Alexandria Modern Art Museum, the Marine Museum in Alexandria, along with other establishments. == Artistic impact ==

Sirry and her art have majorly contributed to discourse pertaining to nationalism, cultural emancipation, gender politics, and individual freedoms within a sovereign state. She is the longest living female artist belonging belongs to a generation of artists of artists that came to prominence in the years before Nasser’s Revolution. == International recognition ==

Sirry received several prestigious awards and prizes, including the following: • Prize of Rome,1952 • Honorary Prize, Venezia Biennale,1956 • Honorary Prize for Creative Painting, Cairo,1957 • Second Prize (lithography) Alexandria Biennale, 1959 • First Prize (painting) Alexandria Biennale, 1963 • First Prize, Salon du Caire, 1960 • Fourth great Prize of International Contemporary Art, Monaco, 1968 • State Prize and Order of Sciences and Arts of First Degree, 1970 • Prize of Cairo Opera for Quadruple Tapestry Design, 1990 • State Merit Prize, 2000 == Collections ==

Sirry's work has been collected by the following institutions: • Egypt Modern Art Museum, Cairo • Alexandria Modern Art Museum • Marine Museum in Alexandria • The Egyptian National Bank in Cairo • Al-Ahram newspaper, Cairo • The Ministry of Foreigners and Egyptian embassies abroad • The Egyptian Art Academy in Rome • Arts and Sciences Museum in Evansville, Indiana, USA • Vincent Price Art Collection in Los Angeles, USA • Faculties of fine arts and art education in Cairo, Alexandria and Menia • Josef Museum of Unaligned Countries in Belgrade, Yugoslavia • Living Art Museum in Tunis • The Grand Conference Hall at Cairo Opera House and Cairo • The National Museum of Women Arts in Washington • Arab World Institute in Paris • Museum of Art and Sciences in Evansville, Indiana, USA • Unaligned Countries Museum in Yugoslavia • The American University in Cairo • Cairo Opera House • Great Cairo Library • Mubarak Public Library in Giza • The Supreme Council of Culture, Cairo • Press Syndicate, Cairo • Novotel Hotel in Cairo Airport • Sheraton Hotel in Giza • Sheraton Atoun Hotel in Nuba ==Bibliography==