Tribute To Abdel Hamid Baalbaki

Opening ceremony: 27th of February 2025 from 6pm to 9pm, Collection Galleries, Level 1

The museum is honored to pay tribute to Abdel Hamid Baalbaki, upholding a tradition of homages that began in 1965. This tribute serves as an ode to the South and a remembrance of Baalbaki's home in Odeisseh, envisioned as one of the village’s first cultural centers before its damage during the 2024 war.
Born in 1940 to a family of farmers in Odeisseh, Jabal Amel, Baalbaki's discovered his passion for drawing at an early age. He pursued fine arts studies at the Lebanese University under the guidance of the renowned painter Rachid Wehbi. His parents instilled in him a love for the land, particularly the ochre earth of the South, which would later become a recurring theme in his work. After spending more than thirty years in Beirut, Baalbaki returned to Odeisseh to build his home and establish a library that housed over two thousand rare books.

Baalbaki’s world extended beyond art, encompassing literature and poetry. As the author of three poetry collections, his passion for the written word was as profound as his devotion to painting. One of his final endeavors was the creation of a comprehensive library dedicated to the history of art and literature—a testament to his lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Tragically, this invaluable collection did not survive beyond his time.
This exhibition celebrates his work and legacy, exploring the notion of home in its first section and offering an ode to the South in the second, while showcasing his famous War mural, created in 1977. As history tends to repeat itself, War was first exhibited in 1979 at the Glass Hall of the Ministry of Tourism in a group exhibition titled Warm Injury, dedicated to South Lebanon in the aftermath of its invasion.

Baalbaki’s house was not alone in meeting its recent fate; entire villages have been wiped out, including the home of the late renowned painter Hussein Madi in Chabaa. A comprehensive assessment of the damage to heritage buildings and artists' estates has yet to be conducted.
 

Biography
 

Abdel Hamid Baalbaki (1940–2013) was a painter, poet, and writer committed to sharing his passion for art with as wide an audience as possible. In 1995, he opened an art space, Al-Riwaq Al-Tashkilyi, in Haret Hreik to make art accessible to working-class neighborhoods. He taught for thirty years at the Lebanese University and served as President of the Lebanese Association of Painters and Sculptors (LAAPS) from 1992 to 1994, becoming a prominent voice in the art community. He graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Lebanese University, Institute of Fine Arts in 1971, and later received a grant from the Ministry of Education to study mural art at ENSAD in Paris in 1972.

His passion for the arts deeply influenced his family. Among his eight children, Soumaya became a singer, Oussama a painter, and Lubnan a conductor, while Salman pursued music and Mounzer acting. Hoda also followed a path in painting. His brother Fawzi is also a painter, and his nephews, Said and Ayman, are both artists.
Despite leaving behind a relatively small body of work— around 200 —some of which were lost in recent destruction along with parts of his archives and drawings, Baalbaki remained committed to using his art to serve the underprivileged, portraying their lives in the streets of Chiyah and Beirut.
Baalbaki sought to define Arab modernity by exploring Islamic art, the work of Al-Wasiti, and Arabic poetry. His early works, such as Ashura and Al-Hajj, reflect this journey. He engaged in dialogues with his contemporaries such as Aref El Rayess on authenticity in Arab art, echoing broader concerns discussed at events like the 1971 ALECSO conference and the first Arab Congress for Plastic Arts. These efforts, led by organizations such as the General Union of Arab Plastic Artists, aimed to promote the Arabization of modern art, emphasizing authenticity, identity, and accessibility to the Arab public.
In his later years, Baalbaki experimented with various styles, including mural art inspired by Diego Rivera, but ultimately returned to figurative painting with a series dedicated to nature.

Baalbaki was not interested in commercial representation or selling his works. He exhibited at Gallery One in 1983, and after his passing, Saleh Barakat Gallery dedicated a retrospective to his work in 2018. During his lifetime, he primarily participated in group exhibitions, often choosing to keep his works rather than sell them. He favored public spaces for his art, holding solo exhibitions at the Glass Hall of the Ministry of Tourism in 1993 and the UNESCO Palace in 2008. Throughout his career, he took part in over sixty group exhibitions, both in Lebanon and internationally.

Curated by: Karina El Helou
Scenography: Atelier Meem Noon
Archives: Rowina Bou Harb
Graphic design: Scope Atelier
 
Special Thanks to: Oussama Baalbaki, Lubnan Baalbaki and the extended Baalbaki family for their help and contribution