FRANCE IN CAIRO

Article published in Deccan Herald (Bangalore) Sunday Magazine

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SUJIT CHOWDHURY

Sujit Chowdhury stumbles upon the Khalil Museum in Cairo that houses rare French art collection.

While rushing through the various museums and monuments in and around Cairo, I was struck by the mention of Mr and Mrs Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Giza area that houses a priceless and the largest collection of European paintings and sculptures on this side of the Mediterranean. The Museum located on 1, Kafour Street, was originally the mansion of Khalil, a statesman and connoisseur of art. The building as well as the collection has to tell a lot about Mohammed Khalil’s life, Egyptian modern history and its cultural interaction with France.

Mohammed Mahmoud Khail (1877-1953) was born to an aristocratic family and he studied law at the Sorbonne University. It was in France that he fell in love with Emeline Lock Hector who was a student of music and had a passion for art. They married in 1903 in Paris. Khalil developed keen interest in everything French; from cuisine to costumes and from painting to architecture. The Khalils were more interested in the emerging trends in Western art of which Paris was the hub.

The first painting that the couple bought was ‘Water lilies’ by Renoir for merely 400 pounds — the value of which is now estimated to be $ 40 million. By the time, the Khalils returned to Cairo in 1918, they had a handsome collection of paintings, statuettes and other antiques. Initially, the Khalils lived at 11, Kasr al-Neil Street but soon they moved to the palatial building at 1, Kafour Street after Khalil bought this building from Mahmoud Fakhry Pasha, a long time minister to France and a friend of Khalil.


The eastern side of the building overlooks the Nile and it has intricate metal and glass work taken from the French Arnoveau style as revealed from its grand entrance and the massive window.

The western side of the building facing the Murad Street has features of Neo-Classical style with detailed ornamentations. The area of the building is about 1400 sq. meters surrounded by a beautiful garden and has four levels with marble winding staircase and French terrace. The basement of the building now houses the administrative office, library, Information Centre and an auditorium.

The first floor has largely the collection of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist School whereas the second floor has pre-impressionist paintings. ‘Life and Death’ (1889) and ‘Father Jeans Walk’ (1889) are two paintings of Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh’s ‘Vase and Flowers’ is another precious possession. There are paintings of other impressionist and post-impressionist artists like Monet, Renoir, Pissaro, Sisley, Eugene Boudin, Toulose Lautrec, Degas and Marie Cassette.

Many artists represented in the collection are also from different schools who significantly contributed in the emergence of modernism in Western art; prominent among them are Ingres, Gusatve Courbet, Theodore Rousseau, Millet, Constant Troyon, Charles Daubingy, Daumier and Declaroix. In all, there are 208 paintings beside 40 sculptures that include work by Rodin and Cajou. The museum also has a large number of French furniture, ceramics and rare books.

It is interesting to know why and how such a large number of paintings encompassing a longer period of Western art history found its destination in a private collection in Cairo.

One reason is the genuine interest of the Khalils in art and their wealth to buy these masterpieces from the Parisian art dealers. Another reason is the onset of the Second World War when Paris was seized by the Nazi and paintings were looted and confiscated. During that time, art dealers and gallery owners were compelled to sell the paintings at low price.

Khalils used this as an opportunity. Richard Mosseri, an art curator, was the mediator and with every trip to France, the Khalils returned to Cairo with a load of paintings, sculptures and other works of art. This is how Khalil’s mansion turned into a fabulous collection of objects d’arts.

While practicing as an eminent lawyer in Cairo and being in the board of directors of many Egyptian banks and insurance companies, Mahmoud Khalil started actively participating in politics and he was appointed as the minister of agriculture in the Al Wafd Cabinet in 1937 and became the Speaker of the Senate in 1939.
Together with Prince Youssef Kamal, he founded The Society of Lovers of Fine Arts in 1924 and became its chairman from 1942 to 1952. He also supervised the 1937 Egyptian Pavilion in the International Exhibition in Paris and also 1949 exhibition of décor Egypt-France. For his contribution to promote art, the French government rewarded him with the title of Correspondant de l’Académie des Beaux Arts and the Grand Cordon de la Légion d'Honneur.

In 1947, Mahmoud Khalil bequeathed the palatial house of Giza to Emeline and in 1953 he himself drew a will bestowing his beloved wife one third of his estate, including the art collection. Shortly, Mamoud Khalil suffered a massive heart attack and died in Paris on December 27, 1953.

In 1954, Emeline drew a will that upon her death the mansion along with all the art collection would go to the Egyptian government. She died on March 19, 1960. In 1962, the house of the Khalils was inaugurated as Mr and Mrs Mahmoud Khalil Art Museum.

Unfortunately, after Anwar Sadat became the President, he acquired the museum in 1971 and converted it into his office. All the art collection was relocated to a palace in Zamalek. It was only after Sadat’s death in 1981 that Mr and Mrs Khalil’s house was restored as a museum after establishing the authenticity of the retrieved collection from art specialists.

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