Nabil's studied French literature at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. Enthralled by the elegance and charm of early Egyptian cinema, as well as the hand-colored family portraits ubiquitous in...
YOUSSEF NABIL, Egypt (1972)
Bio
Nabil's studied French literature at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. Enthralled by the elegance and charm of early Egyptian cinema, as well as the hand-colored family portraits ubiquitous in Cairo's living rooms, he sought inspiration from the renowned Egyptian-Armenian photographer, Van Leo. Celebrated for his glamorous studio portraits capturing the allure of iconic Egyptian actresses from the 1940s and 50s, Van Leo became a significant influence on Nabil's artistic vision.
Nabil's portfolio showcases portraits of renowned figures, ranging from the iconic belly dancer Fifi Abdou to talented artists like Ghada Amer, singer Natacha Atlas, and actress Youssra. Delving into the fleeting nature of existence, Nabil infuses his art with motifs of transience, especially evident in his introspective self-portraits.
In 2003, Nabil's received the Seydou Keita Prize for portraiture at the Biennial of African Photography. These images, captured across the globe, serve as metaphors for his sense of displacement and yearning for a lost homeland, depicted in idealized memories rendered in silver print. Today Youssef Nabil lives and works in New York City.
This is a short biography. The full version, along with research, CV and sources will be posted soon. Stay tuned and visit us often or become a member to be notified of our updates.
CV
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2022
Youssef Nabil: The Beautiful Voyage, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Youssef Nabil: Memory Of A Happy Place, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris (Cloître Saint-Merri), France
2020
Youssef Nabil: Once Upon a Dream, Palazzo Grassi, François Pinault Foundation, Venice, Italy
2018
Youssef Nabil, GAGPROJECTS, Adelaide, Australia
2017
Youssef Nabil: Deep Roots, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
Youssef Nabil: I Saved My Belly Dancer, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Miami, Florida, USA
2016
Youssef Nabil: I Saved My Belly Dancer, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2015
Youssef Nabil: I Saved my Belly Dancer, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris (Cloître Saint-Merri), Paris, France
2013
Youssef Nabil - Time of Transformation, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2012
Youssef Nabil, MEP, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France
2011
Youssef Nabil: You Never Left, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris (Cloître Saint-Merri), Paris, France
2010
Youssef Nabil, Yossi Milo, Upper West Side, New York, USA
2009
I will go to Paradise, The Third Line, Doha, Doha, Qatar
Youssef Nabil, DIEHL (Niebuhrstrasse), Mitte, Berlin, Germany
2008
CINEMA, Stevenson, Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
2007
Portraits, Self-Portraits, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2005
Youssef Nabil: Portraits, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
The Circle Was A Point, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
The Circle Was a Point, Foundry Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2023
Coups de Cœur, Galerie Tanit, Beirut, Lebanon
15 Year Anniversary Brussels, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Belgium
2022
Perpetual Inventory, Volume 1: An Exercise in Looking, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, United Arab Emirates
Photography, Jewels and Handbags, Sotheby's Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2021
Le Dessin de A à Z, Galerie Baudoin Lebon, Paris, France
A Boundless Drop to a Boundless Ocean, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, Florida, USA
2020
Looking Forward, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris (Cloître Saint-Merri), Paris, France
There Is Fiction In The Space Between, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, United Arab Emirates
Portraits, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Belgium
2018
Focus, The Third Line, Dubai, Al Quoz, United Arab Emirates
Both, And, Stevenson, Cape Town, South Africa
2017
Exposition d'été, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Belgium
2016
Ce que fait le printemps avec les cerisiers (Pablo Neruda), Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris (Cloître Saint-Merri), Paris, France
Dream Light: Selections from the PAMM Video Art Collection, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Miami, USA
Group Exhibition, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris (Cloître Saint-Merri), Paris, France
2015
Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East, LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Park La Brea, Los Angeles, California, USA
2014
The Divine Comedy, MMK, Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
The Greater Middle East Unv…, Opera Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2013
Utopia: Photography Show, Opera Gallery, Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
2012
In Between, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Belgium
2011
The Mask & The Mirror, Leila Heller Gallery, New York, New York, USA
The State: Social/Antisocial?, Traffic Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The State: Social/Antisocial?, Dubai, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2010
Told/Untold/Retold, Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Portraits, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Brussels, Belgium
2009
Summer Show, The Third Line, Qatar
I will go to paradise, The Third Line, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2008
Disguise: The art of attracting and deflecting attention, Stevenson, Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Portrait Ii, Galeria Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil
YOUSSEF NABIL Artwork
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