“Established in late 2006 early 2007 by a group of art appreciators and collectors spearheaded by Elwy Taymour, it was formed to initiate a joint institutional collection of Modern and Contemporary Egyptian art that could capture the progression of the development of artistic technique of the past century. Believing that Egyptian art was underappreciated and undervalued, the group consisting of the Taymour Family, Mrs. May Elaraby and Mr and Mrs Hisham Khazindar, set about establishing a structure and a strict artistic vision that has been curated and directed by Nihal Wahby, an artist herself. Their aim was to offer a different perspective to Egyptian art and expose the collection as a way to increase Egyptian art awareness, appreciation and exposure through discovering the hidden artistic value and untapped potential of art works that represent the essence of Egyptian art. The collection manifests the work of seven years of insightful curating and selection of important art pieces spotting the development of Egyptian artists during the different stages of their artistic practice and vision. The Pharos Art Collection marks a journey of discovery into various private collections, galleries and artist’s studios to formulate a visual and insightful voyage to the core of Egyptian art. It encompasses works, amongst many others, by Modern masters Youssef Kamel, Mahmoud Mokhtar, Mahmoud Saïd, Effat Naghi, Seif and Adham Wanly, Mahmoud Moussa, Gamal El-Seguini, Mohammed Sabry, Inji Efflatoun, Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar, Gazbia Sirry, Adam Henein, Hassan Soliman and Contemporary artists Adel El-Siwi, Moataz Nasr and Mohammed Abla. Each piece works together to create a harmonious grouping that endeavours to provide insight into collecting and eras of art appreciation. In fact, many of the art pieces are documented in major Egyptian art literary references.”