Osman Waqialla
Encyclopedia
Osman Waqialla , Sudanese artist, calligrapher.
on the banks of the Blue Nile
.He graduated from the School of Design, Gordon Memorial College
, Khartoum
, Sudan (1945). In 1946 received a scholarship and moved to England
to joined Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London
and finished his studied in 1949. Later he moved to Egypt
, where he trained as a calligrapher under the master Sayyid Muhammed Ibrahim (d.1994) at the School of Arabic Calligraphy in Cairo. Then he moved to Sudan, where he taught at the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum at the beginning of 1950s. From 1954 to 1964 he founded Studio Osman as a meeting place for artists and intellectuals in Sudan. At that time he received several commissions, including calligraphic designs for the first Sudanese currency, and he is considered one of the first artists in modern art movement in Sudan to explore calligraphy. In 1967 he moved to England and worked as a consultant calligrapher to the firm of banknote makers, De La Rue
.
His work has been exhibited in Africa, the Middle East, the United States and Europe, including the touring exhibition Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa, which began at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1995. He returned to Sudan a few years ago, where he died on Thursday January 4, 2007.
Early life and career
Waqialla was born in Rufa'a, in Central Sudan, Al Jazirah stateAl Jazirah (state)
Al Jazirah , also spelled Gezira, is one of the 15 states of Sudan. The state lies between the Blue Nile and the White Nile in the east-central region of the country. It has an area of 27,549 km². The name comes from the Arabic word for peninsula. Wad Madani is the capital of the state.It is...
on the banks of the Blue Nile
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. With the White Nile, the river is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile...
.He graduated from the School of Design, Gordon Memorial College
Gordon Memorial College
Gordon Memorial College is an educational institution in Sudan. It was built between 1899 and 1902 as part of Lord Kitchener's wide-ranging educational reforms....
, Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, Sudan (1945). In 1946 received a scholarship and moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to joined Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and finished his studied in 1949. Later he moved to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he trained as a calligrapher under the master Sayyid Muhammed Ibrahim (d.1994) at the School of Arabic Calligraphy in Cairo. Then he moved to Sudan, where he taught at the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum at the beginning of 1950s. From 1954 to 1964 he founded Studio Osman as a meeting place for artists and intellectuals in Sudan. At that time he received several commissions, including calligraphic designs for the first Sudanese currency, and he is considered one of the first artists in modern art movement in Sudan to explore calligraphy. In 1967 he moved to England and worked as a consultant calligrapher to the firm of banknote makers, De La Rue
De La Rue
De La Rue plc is a British security printing, papermaking and cash handling systems company headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It also has a factory on the Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, and other facilities at Loughton, Essex and Bathford, Somerset...
.
His work has been exhibited in Africa, the Middle East, the United States and Europe, including the touring exhibition Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa, which began at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1995. He returned to Sudan a few years ago, where he died on Thursday January 4, 2007.