Women’s Arts Education in Egypt (1908-1952)
A Struggle where Feminism and Nationalism Converge
by : Nadine Atallah
Partenaire(s) de l’Ifao : DAIK, NVIC, CAI, PCMA
In English
The 11th session of the seminar series ‘Exploring Egypt: Histories and Historiographies’, a joint initiative of the Ifao, DAIK, CAI, PCMA & NVIC, will be hosted at the Ifao. This session features Nadine Atallah, and it is entitled “Women’s Arts Education in Egypt (1908-1952), A Struggle where Feminism and Nationalism Converge”. The lecture is open to the public in the limit of available places.
Abstract:
1908 is commonly considered a key date, marking the beginning of the history of modern art in Egypt, because it was the year the School of Fine Arts was established in Cairo. Though, until the early 1950s the school only accepted male students. Yet, women artists have been active on the Egyptian art scene since the first decades of the twentieth century. So how did they train? What were their alternatives to formal, local academic tuition? By bringing to light the trajectories and commitments of women teachers and aspiring artists, as well as the evolution of institutions and learning methods, this presentation highlights some of the stages in women’s access to artistic training in Egypt during the first half of the twentieth century. This evolution is understood as part of a larger social movement, marked by feminist demands and the “Egyptianisation” of both female teachers and students, in the context of struggles for national independence.
Nadine Atallah is a Researcher specializing in the MENA region, National Museum of Modern Art – Centre Pompidou, Paris / Associate researcher, InVisu laboratory (CNRS/INHA)
Exploring Egypt Seminar: Histories and Historiographies
A joint collaboration between the Ifao (Institut français d’archéologie orientale) & the DAIK (German Archaeological Institute in Cairo), joined in 2025 by the CAI (Centro Archeologico Italiano), PCMA (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology Cairo) & NVIC (Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo).
