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Mahmoud Mokhtar (Arabic: محمود مختار) (May 10, 1891-March 28, 1934) was an Egyptian sculptor. Notwithstanding his prematurely early death, his impact on contemporary Egyptian art has been colossal. He is considered the father of modern Egyptian sculpture.
Born in the Nile Delta region in a small village called Nesha, Mokhtar moved to Cairo in 1908 where he joined the newly founded School of Fine Arts. In 1911, he was granted a scholarship to study art in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In France, he befriended members of the Wafd Party and was inspired to create the prototype of his famous statue, Nahdit Misr aka "Egypt's Renaissance," which was initially unveiled in Ramses Square in 1928 and now stands opposite the Cairo University Bridge. Winning many honours and awards in Paris and Cairo, Mokhtar also became famous for his two monumental statues of Saad Zaghlul (one in Alexandria, the other in Cairo). Some of his other well-known sculptures include "The Secret Keeper," "Isis," "The Nile's Bride" and "Khamaseen."
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