The Mahmoud Saïd catalogue raisonné is a more complete reference book about the artist than Esmat Dawastashy's seminal monograph, published in 1997 solely in Arabic, and now out of print.

Documenting every painting and drawing discovered to date, rather than listing a selection of works, the Mahmoud Saïd catalogue raisonné

illustrates many previously unknownpaintings and drawings.

As THE reference book for the artist.
it acts as an encyclopedia on his work, featuring seminal articles now translated into English, as well as new ground-breaking articles commissioned for the catalogue raisonné by leading academics in the field.

The catalogue raisonné itself s aimed at being the best possible representation of Mahmoud Saïd's oeuvre at the time of publication.

This website is complementary to the catalogue raisonné; it is updated for new findings about the referenced work, as well as for paintings and drawings newly discovered as part of the on-going research.

Although museums, collectors and art fairs around the world have only very recently shown interest in Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern art, it is time to bring the unparalleled talents of the region into the academic realm of the History of Art.

Art History courses in universities worldwide should include more sections on Middle Eastern Art and in order to make that happen, there is a large gap to fill in terms of academic research and bibliography on the subject.

The Mahmoud Saïd catalogue raisonné acts as a bridge between Modern Egyptian Art and the concept of the History of Art. It is bound to set the example for other modern and contemporary artists from all around the Middle Eastern diaspora in view of not only preserving the region's unique artistic heritage, but also sharing it with the rest of the world.

On a more practical side, the Mahmoud Saïd catalogue raisonné will regulate the artist's market in helping to fight against forgeries.