A decades-old painting glorifying the construction of Egypt’s High Dam back in the 1960s has now been declared missing, triggering rumors that the item had either been stolen or destroyed during the 2011 uprising.
Conflicting accounts have emerged with regard to the whereabouts of the“The High Dam”, by Abdel Hady al-Gazzar, with some saying that it has disappeared from the office of the now-defunct Arab Socialist Union, where it was brought from the Modern Art Museum in 1967. Others say that it might have either been stolen or burned during fire at the National Democratic Party’s office during the 2011 uprising.
The painting, which hanged in the office of late president Gamal Abdel Nasser for some time, earned Gazzar the country’s top badge of honor in the field of arts in 1964, and prompted the UNESCO to list him among the most influential Africans.
Art critic Ezz Eddin Naguib said he was part of a panel formed in the 1980s to take stock of the ASU’s artistic possessions. He noted that although the panel recommended to transfer the paintings to the museum, "The High Dam" disappeared before showing up at the state-run Banha Culture Center, only to disappear once again.
Naguib blamed the Modern Art Museum of failing to follow up on the artwork borrowed by various government bodies.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
