Omar Elfayoumi

Born in 1957, Omar El Fayoumi graduated from the Cairo Faculty of Fine Art's Mural Painting Department in 1981. Between 1986 and 1991, he studied at the Academy of Fine Art (REPIN) in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has lived and worked in Cairo since 1993. His artwork has been showcased in numerous group exhibitions and solo exhibitions at Gallery Karim Francis, Ekhnatoun Gallery, Atelier Le Caire and the Russian Consulate Gallery, among others. El Fayoumi is primarily a portrait painter featuring striking faces. He combines the Fayoum style of painting, the modern term to a type of realistic portrait painted on wood and attached to mummies from Roman Egypt with modern painting techniques and colors. His portraits have an ancient, soulful look yet are set in modern settings such as cafes and coffee houses. They take you straight to the heart of Egypt.