(VEE) EGYPT HOSTS EXHIBITION ON ITALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIOS

(VELINO) Roma, 26 Aug - The photographic exhibition "Grandi studi fotografici italiani in Egitto, XIX-XX secolo" (Major Italian Photo Studios in Egypt: 19th-20th century), which has garnered a great deal of success in Cairo since January, will remain open in Alexandria's Creativity Centre until 4 September. The exhibition features 49 photographs by seven Italian photographers who set up their studio or laboratory in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century: Antonio Beato, Aziz & Dore's, Giovanni Fasani, Luigi Fiorillo, Teodoro Kofler, Enrico Leichter and Giuseppe Selim. On top of their daily activities developing and printing photos, the seven artists followed in the tracks of other travelling European and American photographers, capturing the archaeological discoveries of the time, often delving into their visual narrative of Cairo with the typical Oriental style that was then in vogue. The Italian photographers' gaze demonstrates their peculiar perspective and their knack for integrating in Egypt, its society and the customs of the places and landscapes they saw and recounted. Although they are not as well-known as their foreign colleagues such as J. Pascal Se'bah, John Shaw Smith, John B. Greene, Leawith Hunt, Francis Frith, Fe'lix Bonfils, Hippolyte Arnoux, who produced photographic works on a monumental scale, the seven Italian artists stand out for their technical proficiency and the originality of their depictions, factors that have converted them into a highly sought-after alternative among collectors and enthusiasts over the years. The exhibition was curated by Francis Amin and Mervat Guirguis in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo. vel
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