<\/i>The 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 1977 mural \u201cWar.\u201d As history tends to repeat itself, \u201cWar\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Baalbaki\u2019s 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\u2019 estates has yet to be conducted.<\/span><\/p>\n

The work of <\/span>Abdel Hamid Baalbaki is included in several major Arab collections: Saradar, Dalloul and Barjeel. Until today, however, Baalbaki\u2019s work hasn\u2019t been shown in Europe or the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite leaving behind a relatively small body of work \u2014 around 200 pieces \u2014 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 elsewhere in the Arab world.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sursock Museum in Beirut presents “Ode to the South,” a tribute exhibition to the late Abdel Hamid Baalbaki, 1940-2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":936,"featured_media":36897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,14,4352],"tags":[202,204,255,2324,1032,4404],"coauthors":[4398],"class_list":["post-36863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-art-photography","category-featured-artist","category-tmr-50-returning-home","tag-arab-art","tag-arab-artists","tag-arabic-poetry","tag-hezbollah","tag-lebanon","tag-south-lebanon","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n