Abdul Hadi El Gazzar’s detailed paintings and drawings are considered some of the most significant emblems of Egypt’s modernist movement. Having studied in Cairo and Rome, Gazzar was among the third generation of artists who joined Hussein Youssef Amin’s Group of Contemporary Art, which rejected Western academic approaches to art making. His practice passed through distinct stages, starting with an early interest in the metaphysical, incorporating religious symbolism, folklore and scenes from moulid (birth) festivals in Cairo’s Sayyida Zeinab district.