Rafik El Kamel

In the realm of Tunisian art, Rafik El Kamel stands as a luminary, his canvases serving as windows into a world where space and light dance in mesmerizing harmony.

Across his career, he delved into an inner reality, unveiling shapes discernible beneath the surface. His compositions, marked by clustered graphic forms, portrayed a dynamic universe—potent yet delicate—where equilibrium appeared tenuously upheld amidst an underlying chaos persistently poised to resurface. This method allowed him to articulate life in abstract, shedding traces of nostalgia to convey a sense of solitude, wherein the artist felt compelled to disclose.

Biography of Rafik El Kamel 

Rafik El Kamel was born in 1944 in Tunis, Tunisia. He completed his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Tunis in 1966. El Kamel further honed his craft at the School of Decorative Arts in Paris. 

Between 1967 and 1971, he honed his painting skills during his time in Paris. After returning to Tunis, he shared his expertise by teaching at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

El Kamel's work has been celebrated internationally, with exhibitions spanning from the annual showcases of L'Ecole de Tunis to prestigious events such as the Salon de Mai in Paris and the Biennale of Young Artists in Paris (1977). 

In 1984, he received the top prize from the city of Tunis and the first prize from the annual exhibition of contemporary art in Tunis.

In 2002, his art was featured at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris as part of "Perspective on Contemporary Arab Art," further solidifying his status as a trailblazer in the world of modern art.