"An artist, teacher and gallerist, Gorgi was an influential member of the École de Tunis."
Born in the Tunis medina in 1928, Gorgi studied at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1944 to 1949 and received further training in Parisian ceramics studios between 1949 and 1953. Known as a pioneer of Tunisian modern art, Gorgi worked as an artist, teacher and gallerist, while being an influential member of the École de Tunis.
His paintings often depicted scenes from Tunisian daily life, landscapes, and traditional subjects with a distinct rendered perspective, often achieved through the use of impasto. He taught drawing, ceramics and painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Tunis from 1959 to 1983 and established the Gorgi Gallery in 1973 and Galerie Ammar Farhat in Sidi Bou Saïd in 1988.
Gorgi’s oeuvre is various media evoke artisanal production, cultural patrimony, and surrealist imagery. His paintings and tapestries have been featured in exhibitions across the world. Gorgi received the Award of Merit in the field of visual arts in 1990, the Tunisian Grand Ribbon of National Merit for culture in 1999 as well as the President's Prize for Innovation and Creation in 2000.