What happens when nearly a century of Egyptian art is brought together in one room? The answer can be found this fall in Washington, D.C., where “El Marsam: Modern and Contemporary Art from Egypt” will offer American audiences a rare look at the artists, ideas and stories that have shaped Egypt’s modern visual culture. Opening September 18, 2026, at the Middle East Institute Art Gallery, the exhibition brings together roughly 45 works spanning painting, sculpture, drawing, photography and collage. It will remain on view through December 11. The exhibition is especially significant because it is among the first gallery exhibitions in the United States devoted exclusively to modern and contemporary Egyptian art. Curated by Cairo-born curator Heba El Kayal, the exhibition takes its name from the Arabic word El Marsam, meaning “studio.” An Egyptian story on an international stage The choice of title is more than a nod to language. In Egypt, marsam has increasingly replaced the French word atelier, once commonly used to describe an artist’s studio. For El Kayal, that shift echoes the evolution of Egyptian art itself; a journey shaped by both international artistic movements and…
