The exhibition brings together a selection of Helmi el-Touni’s work during his residency in Beirut between 1973 and 83. It sheds light on his early achievements in book design and illustration of children’s books. The exhibit equally presents a collection of posters designed by Touni, for a number of local organizations, mostly centered on the promotion of cultural activities, national political concerns and issues of public awareness.
who began his practice in the late 1950s in Cairo. He collaborated with a number of renowned periodicals and publishing houses in Egypt, Lebanon and Kuwait. Touni’s outstanding work over the last forty years has brought distinguished contributions to the fields of Arabic book design and illustrated books for children, and earned him many awards at local and international book fairs: the Beirut Arabic Book Fair (1977–79); the Leipzig Book Fair (Bronze Medal, 1982); Cairo International Book Fair Prize (1998); First Prize, Suzanne Mubarak Competition for Children's Literature (1999 and 2001); and the New Horizons Award, Bologna International Children’s Book Fair (2002).
Helmi el-Touni is currently the art director of the Arabic cultural periodical Weghat Nazar. He continues, beyond publication design, to be a painter participating with his artwork in several exhibitions in Egypt and other Arab countries.
