SEIF WANLY (EGYPTIAN 1906-1979)
Still Life with Shrimp
1952
signed and dated Seif 52 (lower right)
tempera on paper, framed
53 x 62.5 cm (21 x 24 1/2 in)

PROVENANCE
Private collection, UAE

Seif Wanly studied along with his brother, Adham, under the Italian painter Ottorino Becchi, in Egypt. Becchi introduced them to avant-garde movements like Futurism as well as Cubism; these two techniques formed the basis from which Wanly developed his personal style defined by angular lines, bright shades and colorful geometric shapes. Raised by a French-speaking aristocratic family (his father Turkish, his mother from the Caucasus), Wanly travelled extensively during his lifetime, particularly during the 1950s. The studio Wanly set up in Alexandria (his birthplace) with his brother, is frequently credited with bringing attention to the art of area.