Archive - The Art of Menhat Helmy

Rare footage from the 2005 Menhat Helmy retrospective

Watch now | Step back in time to relive the opening night of the Menhat Helmy retrospective from December 2005—a night that laid the foundation for what…

Jun 5 •

and

17:15

May 2025

What we wish we could ask Menhat Helmy

Menhat Helmy passed away on this day—May 10—in 2004. Here are the questions her daughter and grandson wish they could have asked her before she departed…

May 10 •

and

Etching Egypt’s History: The High Dam

Helmy’s artworks depicting the Aswan High Dam are among the finest of her etchings. They are also enduring reminders of the sacrifices Egyptians made in…

May 2 •

November 2024

The Artist Who Captured a Bygone Cairo

Menhat Helmy sought to represent the capital's unseen majority in her works. As the city is rapidly gentrified, understanding the vanishing world she…

Nov 16, 2024 •

March 2024

A Mother's Love

On Arab Mothers Day, I look back on Menhat Helmy's relationship with her daughters, Nihal and Sara, as well as her grandchildren.

Mar 21, 2024 •

February 2024

Exchange of Fire

My grandmother seldom portrayed war in her artwork, with the exception of the Egypt-Israel conflicts, which held particular significance for her.

Feb 18, 2024 •

October 2023

The Children of Bahr al-Baqar

In 1971, Menhat Helmy painted a powerful piece depicting the 46 children killed in an Israeli air raid on a school that the IDF falsely claimed was a…

Oct 23, 2023 •

July 2023

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts