The Egyptian Avant-Garde

Reclaiming the Narrative. The Egyptian avant-garde: Western derivatives or independent pioneers? Following the success of her highly acclaimed first work, Modern Art in Egypt: Identity and Independence (1850-1936), Fatenn Mostafa-Kanafani's new book, The Egyptian Avant-Garde: Artists, Poets, and Rebels (1936-1973), reclaims Egypt's revolutionary art movements, positioning them as independent models within the global art historical canon. Navigating the complex intersection of art, politics, and society, Kanafani demonstrates how Egypt's two most critical artist collectives—the Art & Liberty Group and the Contemporary Art Group—were at the forefront of a radical reimagining of Egypt, challenging Western-centric predefined frameworks that either label the former as a derivative of international Surrealism or view the latter through the lens of Islam.
The Egyptian Avant-Garde offers the first in-depth comparative study of these progressive cultural forces, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of their ideological and visual disruptions during Egypt's fight for independence from colonial rule and in the aftermath of the 1952 Revolution.

Fatenn Mostafa-Kanafani is an art historian and scholar, specializing in modern Egyptian art and the intersections of politics and culture, making her one of the leading figures in the study of Egyptian modernism. Her work has significantly contributed to the understanding of Egyptian cultural movements, and she continues to spearhead a deeper appreciation for Egypt's role in the global art narrative.