Edgar Degas, one of the French founders of the Impressionism art, once said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”And so it is that three Lebanese artists are making the world see – and recognize – their mesmerizing creations; some even from beyond the grave.
By now, it should go without question that Lebanon has a splendid capacity for nurturing sensational artists.
From celebrated illustrators to painters and world-renowned filmmakers, art has been their way of projecting the Lebanese experience universally.
These Lebanese artistic geniuses are giving the world a taste of their mastery with their paintings featured at the Christie Dubai Gallery and Auction.
#1Â “Untitled” by Yvette Achkar
A pioneer in Lebanon and the Arab world of abstract expressionism, Yvette Achkar is the first woman to enthrone on Christie’s Dubai cover page catalog.
Born in 1982 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Yvette went on to study in Beirut at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) where she became a professor of painting.
@arcacheauction“Painting is like surfing. It is at the top of the wave and then a moment later in the hollow. There is no fear in these hollows, even when they never end. Instead, they balance the existence and release the artist’s imagination.” This is how Yvette Achkar described her artistic work in her own words.
Still one of the most prominent artists in Lebanon, she has continued to show that experience in art is not simply the acquisition of technical skills, but mostly about self-realization.
So far, our awe-inspiring artist has exhibited in Lebanon, Italy, Yugoslavia, Rome, Germany, Paris and Belgrade.
#2 “Nay” by Paul GuiragossianÂ
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Paul Guiragossian (1925-1993) was a Lebanese Armenian painter best known for his figurative works. His colorful compositions straddle the boundary between representation and abstraction.
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From the very beginning, critics disagreed about the “identity” of Paul’s art. Some insist on its proletarian character while others dwell on its hieratic aspects, reminiscent of religious rites. However, amidst the critics, Guiragossian remained silent, content to work quietly as if possessed by his art.
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#3 “Moonlight Over the Pyramids” by Willy AractingiÂ
Self- taught artist Willy Aractingi (1930-2014) studied in Lebanon and France where he resided for the length of the Lebanese civil war.
Aractingi has a colossal body of work extending to 246 paintings. He had been so far the one and only artist who has painted all the fables of La Fontaine with oil on canvas.
Willy Aractingi is best known to be a fabulist through paintings that hold a great technique and a rich palette of colors.
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