The Museum of Fine Artsمتحف الفنون الجميلة

The museum presents a collection of modern and contemporary art, including works by Egyptian artists alongside international pieces. Its galleries showcase paintings, sculpture, and graphic art, charting the development of modern Egyptian art and its dialogue with wider Mediterranean and European currents. For a city so often associated with antiquity, it is a refreshing reminder that Alexandria has also been a vibrant centre of living, modern creativity.

Alexandria holds a special place in the story of modern Egyptian art. The city nurtured celebrated painters — most famously Mahmoud Said, a pioneer of modern Egyptian painting — and fostered a cosmopolitan creative atmosphere drawing on its many cultures. Alexandria has also hosted an international art Biennale bringing together artists from around the Mediterranean. This deep artistic heritage gives the city's fine-art collections a richness and character all their own.

Located near the centre of the city, the Museum of Fine Arts makes an easy and rewarding stop for art lovers. It complements Alexandria's other cultural attractions — the literary world of the Cavafy Museum and the performances of the Opera House — to reveal the city's thriving modern cultural life. Together they show that Alexandria is not only a city of the ancient past, but a living centre of the arts.

• What it is: a museum of modern Egyptian and international art.
• Arabic name: متحف الفنون الجميلة (the Museum of Fine Arts).
• Holdings: modern and contemporary paintings, sculpture, and graphic art.
• Context: Alexandria is a cradle of modern Egyptian art (e.g. Mahmoud Said).
• Also notable: the city's international art Biennale tradition.
• Where: near the centre of Alexandria.

Sources include cultural and travel references for Alexandria. Some details are approximate.