Adam Henein: The Sculptor Who Restored The Sphinx

by Shahinda Abdalla

Born as Samuel Henein in Cairo in 1929 to a Coptic family of gold metalworkers from Asyut, he knew from an early age his destiny as a sculptor. When he was 8 years old he visited the Egyptian Antiquities Museum on a school trip; Henein recalls this day as one of the most formative experiences of his childhood that sparked his lifelong interest in Egyptian heritage and art. As a teen, he would accompany his father to Haret El Yahoud (Jewish District) where his family had a shop and would watch the craftsmen working. The impression these experiences left is greatly felt in his work which combines Pharaonic iconography with modernist lines and forms that border on abstraction. Known predominantly for his sculptures, Henein made paintings too mostly on papyrus and using natural pigments. Whatever medium he was working in, he wanted to work as his ancestors did. He wanted to do it the Egyptian way.

In 1953, Henein graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cairo and by 1954, he won the Luxor prize for sculptors and began showcasing his work in foreign cultural centers in Alexandria and Cairo as well as Egyptian cultural centers in Europe. In 1961, he met anthropologist Afaf El Deeb and converted to Islam in order to be able to marry her two years later in Aswan. From then onwards, his name became Adam Henein. Throughout the 1960s, they lived between Luxor and Aswan as he searched for materials that inspired him which were mostly granites and other stones — materials similar to those used to make Egypt’s ancients monuments and sculptures.

Sheikh El Balad, Bronze, 1974 Afaf’s Face, Bronze, 1984

In 1971, Henein was invited to Paris to participate in an exhibition of contemporary Egyptian art at Musée Galliera. What was supposed to be a two month trip ended being a 25 year stay. It was there that he produced his paintings that were made using natural pigments on papyrus. By working with a material that grew from the banks of the Nile, he remained close to his roots even when he was far. He continued to sculpt working with a variety of materials that included bronze, slate, wood, iron and clay. The Paris chapter of Henein’s life was pivotal as it launched his work and put it on par with some of the best artists in the world. Henein and his wife didn’t leave Paris until 1996.

Adam Henein working on Um Kulthoum sculpture, 2009

Inspired by the dedication of the ancient sculptors who often spent an entire lifetime completing just one piece of work, Henein did not take any shortcuts. Process was everything to him. Yet as keen of an observer as he was, he left much room for the viewer to revel in the mystery of his subjects as he often created such simple lines and forms leaving dense materials such as bronze, iron and stone feeling light and gentle.

Faten Mostafa Kanafani — Founder of Art Talks Gallery — describes his work as Egyptian, Pharaonic, and Coptic. She says, “The Pharaonic influence can be seen for example in his piece of Um Kulthoum as Henein portrays her with a stance reminiscent of Egyptian queens.” Indeed, Henein’s use of simple lines strips subjects to the core capturing only the essentials. It is the richness of themes, such as motherhood and natural life, from which he draws inspiration combined with the bold precision of his form that makes Henein the prominent sculptor that he is.

In his paintings too, he retains this simplicity infused with boldness. His paintings are mostly abstract featuring an earthy palette of reds, pinks, ochres and warm grey, alongside the contrasting heavenly hues of chrome, greens, cobalts, azures and turquoises. He was famous for painting on papyrus and using natural pigments from the acacia tree such as in this painting titled Headstrong (shown below) . Henein was an artist that always remained very faithful to his roots and culture while bringing them into the contemporary era with his use of highly modern forms.

It is precisely his fascination with how the ancients sculpted and his knowledge of these processes and materials that led him to be appointed in 1989 by then Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny to lead the restoration of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The project took a decade to complete and in 1998, Henein was decorated for his service by the Egyptian government.

Towards the end of this restoration project, Henein returned home in 1996 and for the next decade would produce some of his most unique granite sculptures. He would go on to found the International Granite Sculpture Symposium in Aswan, a city that historically since antiquity has been famous fro its granite quarries. Henein has exhibited in countries all over the world and his commissioned works can be found in public buildings in Egypt, Italy and Saudi Arabia. Until his death in 2020, Henein resided in Cairo in Haraneya in a home built by friend and architect Wissa Wassef. For the remainder of his years, Henein worked and lived there with his partner Afaf El Deeb. In 2014, Henein gifted their home and over 4,000 of his works to the public. Today, it remains open as The Adam Henein Museum and can be visited by anyone who is looking to be nourished and inspired by this artist’s incredible craftsmanship and love for beauty, nature and heritage.

Sculpture Garden in The Adam Henein Museum