Nadim Elias, Egyptian Collector, in conversation with Kurt Blackenberg, COLLECTOR. associate Dubai.
COLLECTOR. magazine issue 02
Samir Rafi, The Dog and the Fish, 1972. Images courtesy of Nadim Elias
Chairman and CEO of the Sahara Printing Company, Nadim Elias developed his fascination with painting and sculpture after gaining exposure to Picasso, Miro, Dali and Modigliani in his youth. This fuelled his attraction to surrealism and figurative expressions as movements which grapple with questions concerning the human psyche. Elias started his collection in 1990 after purchasing a painting by Hamed Nada and has subsequently expanded his understanding of contemporary art through frequent visits to museums and galleries in Europe and Egypt.Kurt Blanckenberg: Share a little background of your collection. How did you get into collecting? What was that first piece?