The Opening of the Arab Folklore Museum at the BA
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Alexandria—The Library will witness on Thursday, 31 May 2007, the opening of the Arab Folklore Museum, including acquisitions of the late artists Abdel-Ghani Abou El Enein and his wife Raaya el-Nimr.
Dr. Mostafa Al-Razzaz, BA Plastic Arts Adviser, stated that the Raaya El-Nimr jewelry and costume collection represents a significant aspect of tangible and intangible Egyptian culture. To build up this collection, El-Nimr traveled across Egypt delving into the vibrant Egyptian and Arab heritage.
In her quest, El-Nimr collected whatever she could of jewelry and costumes, all in the wait to be documented and displayed. Her collections were not confined to Egyptian culture, but rather included items that traveled from Yemen and the Far East to finally rest with one of the truest artists who spent a long span of her life collecting and searching.
The folklore-inspired paintings of artist and designer Abdel-Ghani Abou El-Enein, on the other hand, represent an important branch of oil painting.
Additionally, the family of the late couple has kindly donated their personal library, which comprises around four thousand books, to the BA.
Abou El-Enein was an artist, costume designer, and folk art scholar. He maintained intriguing ideas in the fields of culture, journalism, and Egyptian art.
Abou El Enein and Raaya El-Nimr were married in 1963. They shared interest in folk arts and human heritage in general. It is noteworthy that Abou El Enein was awarded the First Class Medal of Excellence by President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak on the Media Professional Day 1991. Abou El Enein passed away in Paris on 15 April, 1998.
El-Nimr was a leading expert in public culture. She was a plastic artist and a Journalist in the radio and Television and Hawa Magazines. She was the first appointed as the director of the Giza cultural palace in 1967. She passed away in Egypt, September 2006.