Shaaban Zaki

"Alleyway in Old Cairo" Oil Painting 19" x 12" inch (1924) by Shaaban Zaki

1924

Shaaban Zaki came from a lower-middle-class family who was mostly government employees, but he was distinguished from them by being involved in the art and culture circles. He could not afford to study in art schools, so he studied at an art institute in Chicago by correspondence. A self-taught and self-made man, he became involved in the art scene and was able to distinguish himself during the early ’20s and ’40s among his colleagues. He contributed to the cultural life by writing articles and essays on the early education of art in primary schools. S. Zaki was able to leave for us a wide collection portraying the landscapes of Egypt whether it be Upper Egypt with its culture and monuments or Lower Egypt with its traditions. He was preoccupied with the different aspects beginning from the ordinary workmen to the great dignitaries of that time.