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Art for All Seasons: How One of the Biggest Names in Hospitality is Supporting Art d’Egypte

Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza's 200-strong art collection speaks of the hotel's history with the local art scene - a history that is set to continue with its support of Art d'Egypte.

Staff Writer

Art for All Seasons: How One of the Biggest Names in Hospitality is Supporting Art d’Egypte

Art: an intangible, elusive element of Egyptian culture that remains the peak of expression and catharsis; a window into all facets of life throughout the centuries, from the times of our Pharaonic forefathers, to the arrival of the European-born modern art movement at the turn of the 19th century, to the contemporary art of today, which seeks to explore the modern Egyptian identity.

While Egypt’s heritage in the arts has often been overlooked, condemned to wain on the side-lines as a mere quirk reserved for only a select section of society, one institution has been doing its part in celebrating this history and supporting its evolution in the present. We speak not of a museum or a gallery, but a hotel – Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza, to be precise.

Since opening along the banks of the Nile in 2004,  Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza has made Egypt's rich heritage in the arts part of its identity and currently owns over 200 museum-grade artworks from some of Egypt's most celebrated contemporary artists, including Omar El Nagdi, Mohamed Rizk and Farghali Abdel Aziz. Adorned across its walls, the collection is more than part of the interior design and is far from a venture of vanity. In fact, the hotel sees the its role in the acquirement of this collection as that of a guardian and preserver, as well as platform for everyone and anyone to see the best of what the local, contemporary art scene has to offer.

The hotel is so rooted in the local arts and culture scene, that it has even collaborated with Zamalek Art Gallery on an expertly curated guided tour to take its guests into the depths of the art that has come to define the aesthetic of the hotel.

This year, Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza is going one step further in its ardent support of art in Egypt by collaborating with the third annual edition of sweeping, internationally-recognised exhibition, Art d’Egypte, which has adorned the historic Muez Street in Old Cairo with a pantheon of specially-commissioned pieces from some of Egypt’s most influential contemporary artists.

Beit El Suhaymi (Photo by Wahba)

Having launched on October 17th, this most unique of exhibition makes use of the stunning spaces afforded by buildings such as Muhib Al-Din Hall, Maq'ad Mamay Al-Sayfi, Qalawun Complex, and Bayt Al Suhaymi, coming together to form a stunning 360 degree experience that not only celebrates the work of the participating artists, but sheds a light on the centuries of history that Muez Street – and its 60 or so houses, palaces and mosques – has bared witness to.

'Hanan' by Fathy Hassan (Photo by MO4 Network)

Again, feeding into its self-appointed role as an ambassador of sorts for the art scene, Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza is bringing the event to life with a number of different initiatives and activities, including creative art-inspired amenities, crafted by the hotel's expert culinarians under the direction of Executive Chef Gianluca Visani. And while any hotel concierge team will likely point to the Great Pyramids of Giza or the Egyptian Museum with guests looking to dive headfirst into Egypt’s rich history, the FSNP team are actively upholding  Art d’Egypte as providing an even deeper understanding of Egypt’s past and present throughout the entirety of its showing, till November 7th.

Sublimity' by Mohamed Shoukry (Photo by MO4 Network)

For more information, check out Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza on Facebook and Instagram.

The content of this article is sponsored.