LIGHTS FROM LEBANON. Artists of Lebanon, 1950-2021.
Claude Lemand:
"Artists often say that Lebanon’s natural light is exceptional. But by "light" I mean above all the personalities who have made Beirut and Lebanon the country-light of the Orient, who have shone at all times in its tormented history, even if over the decades, and through for lack of corrupt and incompetent dominant clans, Lebanon is plunged into political, economic, financial, social, health, food and even cultural chaos. But Lebanon remains a country from which light springs, even from the depths of darkness!
Lights of Lebanon will allow us to bear witness to the luminous face of another Lebanon, a melting pot of civilizations and cultures scattered across the five continents. This Lebanon, inventor of the merchant navy and the alphabet, factor of age-old links between peoples, creator of the secular Nahda, this rebirth of the language, literature, political and social thoughts of a new modern Arab world, freed as much from the yoke of the Ottomans as from the beliefs and prohibitions of religions and sclerotic and feudal societies.
The day after the explosions of August 4, 2020, we launched with Mr. Jack Lang, President of the IMA, three initiatives to transform the tragedy into positive actions, to mark our solidarity with the Lebanese people and more particularly with the world of arts and culture.
Lights of Lebanon is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art from cross-border Lebanon. It intends to bear witness to the great creativity of three generations of artists from Lebanon and its diasporas from 1950 to 2021, to shed light on the originality, richness and universality of their creations and to promote them in France, in Europe and by the World, to make them appreciate at their fair value in the universal history of the Arts.
If this exhibition can demonstrate how big this small country is and that it has something special to offer the world despite all its misfortunes, then we will have won!