{"product_id":"abdel-badie-abdel-hay","title":"Abdel-Badie Abdel-hay","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe artist Abdel-Badie Abdel-Hay was born on June 30, 1916, in Mallawi, Minya Governorate. He was a self-taught artist who received his early education at a Quranic school but did not complete his formal education. He worked as a cook for a family in Mallawi and had a deep passion for art. He would collect clay and use it to create small sculptures of soldiers whose uniforms fascinated him. One day, he was told about Mokhtar’s sculpture competition, whose theme was \"Set El-Hosn,\" meaning \"The Beautiful Woman.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbdel-Badie imagined Set El-Hosn as a beautiful peasant woman combing her hair, and he created a sculpture based on this vision to enter the competition. The work impressed Huda Shaarawi, who purchased it. When she learned that he was a cook from Mallawi, she invited him to work for her so that she could support and nurture his artistic talent. She subsequently sent him to the Free Art Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts, where he studied under the supervision of sculptor Abdel-Qader Rizk and was given numerous opportunities and resources to develop his artistic abilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring his studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts, he won first prize in the Mokhtar Competition twice, for the themes \"The Egyptian Worker\" and \"Sports.\" After completing his studies, he received an award granted to outstanding graduates of both the Free Art and Academic departments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis self-taught artist continued to enrich the Egyptian art scene with his creations, while remaining devoted to his work at the Faculty of Fine Arts as a simple worker in the Sculpture Department. In 1951, he won the Gold Medal in a competition held on the occasion of the First Afro-Asian Conference for a sculpture depicting a boy climbing a staircase while firmly holding a large snake, attempting to protect the world from its venom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis artistic achievements continued, and in March 1973, he attracted the attention of the Arab art scene with his sculpture \"The Snake and the Cat,\" also known as \"Al-Maqama.\" He had previously received a state-sponsored artistic residency grant from 1960 to 1970. In 1972, this distinguished Egyptian artist received the State Encouragement Award in Sculpture, as well as the State Medal of Arts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis sculptures reflect the pain and struggles of the working class, including children and craftsmen, while also offering remarkable depictions of birds, animals, traditional games, and social and political situations. These themes made his work deeply connected to the emotions, aspirations, and collective consciousness of the Egyptian people. He was a highly sensitive artist, and his sculptures were distinguished by their strength and sincerity of expression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbdel-Badie Abdel-Hay set an inspiring example of determination, endurance, and mastery in working with hard materials such as basalt, marble, and granite. He created works characterized by powerful expression and is regarded as one of the prominent Egyptian sculptors who worked extensively with basalt, granite, marble, and wood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbdel-Badie was a humble and unmaterialistic man who was not driven by wealth. A word of appreciation and praise was enough for him, and his greatest happiness came from seeing love in the eyes of others. He found his true wealth in his simple tools and in the remarkable sculptures that came to adorn museum walls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUntil the final days of his life, he remained a simple Egyptian man, deeply attached to his traditional attire, particularly the Upper Egyptian galabeya, as well as to the customs, traditions, and values of an authentic Egyptian. He refused to move to an upscale neighborhood or adopt Western clothing such as suits or trousers, remaining faithful to the traditions and customs with which he had come from Upper Egypt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe works of Abdel-Badie Abdel-Hay were distinguished by an internationally recognized academic quality and an appealing realism infused with symbolism. He possessed an exceptional ability to capture and emphasize intricate details, while favoring smooth, refined surfaces with little apparent roughness. He believed that the beauty of a hard material could be revealed through softness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis works have been preserved in the Egyptian Museum of Art, as well as in museums in Syria, Germany, and elsewhere. The artist and revered master of self-taught Egyptian sculpture passed away in 2004 at the age of 88. Yet his legacy as a master of folk and self-taught sculpture remains deeply rooted in our collective memory. He enriched the Egyptian art movement with remarkable sculptural works that stand as a testament to the greatness of an authentic and humble artist who remained unchanged by time, fame, or the spotlight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbdel-Badie Abdel-Hay remains an inspiring example for generations to follow, demonstrating that success in life is not achieved through extensive knowledge alone, but through determination, perseverance, courage, and the willingness to face challenges, enriched by a profound understanding of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhysical details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLength: 16 cm · Width: 11 cm · Depth: 22 cm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Odyssey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53435524448623,"sku":"GSSCBRABAB00001","price":310000.0,"currency_code":"EGP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0948\/9819\/2751\/files\/OdysseyGallery_121_1_639242982527406381.webp?v=1788690660","url":"https:\/\/www.odysseyatq.com\/ar\/products\/abdel-badie-abdel-hay","provider":"Odyssey ATQ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}