Ahmad Shibrain was a pioneering Sudanese painter, graphic artist, carver, poet, and educator whose work deeply influenced the modern art scene in Sudan. A graduate of Khartoum’s College of Fine Arts in 1955 and a student at London’s Central School of Arts in 1957, Shibrain played a significant role in shaping Sudanese visual arts. As one of the founders of The Khartoum School in the 1960s, alongside contemporaries like Ibrahim El-Salahi and Kamala Ishag, he helped develop the Sudanawiyya movement, which blended local African, Nubian, Arab, and Meroitic heritage with Western artistic influences.

Shibrain was one of the first Arab artists to experiment with calligraphy, transforming Arabic letters into abstract forms and incorporating Islamic motifs to reflect Sudan’s rich cultural fabric. His contributions extended beyond his art; he served as the Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Khartoum and as Secretary General of the Council of Arts and Letters. In 1996, he founded the Shibrain Art Centre, a hub for showcasing Sudanese art and nurturing future generations of artists.

Ahmad Shibrain passed away in 2017. His death marked the loss of one of Sudan's most influential modernist artists. His artworks are held in several notable museums and collections worldwide such as Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah Art Foundation and The British Museum.

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