(This article from Cairo Today Magazine March1993)

His gloomy twisted corridors of wekala el-Ghoury contain many a hidden treasure. But perhaps none quite so valuable as painter Mohamed Ibrahim Youssef, 54, is the grand old man of this artistic center in old Cairo.

A graduate of Cairo’s Leonardo Davinci with a degree in oil painting, Youssef was one of the first crop of young artists brought in by the Ministry of Culture when it opened the Wekalet el-Ghoury Arts Center in the mid-1960s.

In his nearly 40-year career ,Youssef has received almost every award open to Egyptian painters . He was awarded honors by the Ministry of Information in 1971, the Ministry of Culture in 1980, Cairo Governorate in 1990 and the Egyptian Labor Union in 1992 . His work has appeared in 104 national arts exhibitions including nine solo exhibitions.

Youssef’s work has gained international attention as well . His paintings have been displayed throughout Europe and the Middle East and “Wasting Time”, his tongue-in-cheek depiction of a Cairo coffeehouse , is currently on display in the Egyptian Embassy in London.

During his time in Wekala el-Ghoury , Youssef has seen many of his colleagues in the Egyptian artistic community leave Egypt to work abroad . Despite numerous opportunities to follow suit , he has chosen to live and work in Egypt .

“The roots of an apple tree remain the same no matter what you call it,” he explained . “I’m Egyptian . That’s who I am . I couldn’t leave.”

Despite his successes and his government-funded studio , Youssef has a tense relationship with the Ministry of Culture . He turned down an offer to work full-time for the ministry in order to retain his artistic freedom . Then in 1990, Youssef and 68 other artists signed a petition protesting the ministry’s handling of an arts contest .

As a result , Youssef claims , all 69 artists have been blacklisted and will no longer receive any Ministry of Culture awards . However , Youssef said , the ministry needs him and his fellow artists and must try to maintain a somewhat friendly relationship with them , no matter what their transgressions . “We’re the only artists they have,” he chuckled .

In the early days of his career , Youssef preferred to paint colorful scenes of Cairo street life . In 1967 , he was assigned by the Ministry of Culture to depict the scenery and lifestyles of Egypt’s desert oases . Through 1980 , he worked out in the various oases for several months at time , retaining his studio but returning to Cairo only to replenish his art supplies .

Middle-age and the duties of parenthood have slowed Youssef’s travel schedule . He is now based solely in Cairo with a day-job as manager of the art department in an airplane factory .

“My children got bigger and the problems got bigger as well,” he explained . “These days , I can’t leave Cairo for more than two days .”

But the years have not dulled Youssef’s creative drive . Every day after work and all day Friday and Saturday , he can be found in his studio painting , receiving guests and smoking a water pipe . Next year , he plans to retire and devote himself full-time to painting .

Youssef’s paintings now center mainly on the domes and minarets of the city’s old Mamluke mosques . He said his interest in Islamic architecture comes from a desire to preserve a fading aspect of Cairo’s heritage .

“How many more years are these buildings going to be there? I’m trying to depict them while they’re still standing,” he says .

While focusing on Egypt’s Islamic history , Youssef deliberately chooses not to depict Pharaonic scenes such as the Pyramids . “That’s for tourists . We don’t live there . My work is about real life . This is what we’re living in the middle of ,” he says . “The Pharaonic civilization’s time has passed . The Islamic civilization has been here only 1,00 years . It’s still fresh .”