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Ramses Wissa Wassef School of Art
The Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre is located in Harrania, close to the Pyramids. This little known school is a philanthropic organization that locates prodigy children in rural Egypt to offer them free education and board to develop their artistic talents. The school was built on the ideologies of Wissa Wassef (1911-1974) and his father-in-law Habib Gorgy. Wassef based his beliefs on the theories of the Austrian painter, Oskar Kokoschka, who believed all children are born geniuses, but lose their abilities without proper training. Gorgy, a sculptor, believed Egyptians had the inherent talents of their ancient ancestors and that these talents needed to be developed and encouraged. The school opened in 1952 with eighteen students aged 8-18, none with previous training. Weaving was chosen as the primary art form in order to reclaim glories from ancient Egyptian times. The world's oldest woven textiles were found in Egypt and date to 1412 BCE.
The school building won the Aga Khan's Award for Architecture in 1983. Surrounding the studios where the children work are gardens with plant materials from which they are taught to make and choose their own dyes. The art work includes tapestries, carpets, sculpture, painting and weaving. The quality and originality of some of the work is truly inspiring, and has led to exhibitions in New York, London, Paris, and Milan. In 1975, the Exxon Corporation sponsored an exhibit of Wissa Wassef School tapestries. Today, many of the school's tapestries hang in galleries and private collections throughout the world and have become world famous.
Tours to the school are included on Wildland Adventures' Great Sites of Egypt Land and Egypt Explorer Land itineraries.
Link to Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre website.
