GETTING PERSONAL WITH ANACHAR BASBOUS / MAJOR COMMISSIONED WORKS/ JAWDAT ARNOUK, A DEEP BOND BETWEEN ART AND ARCHITECTURE/ IN THE WORDS OF: DR CLAUDE LEMAND, JUSSI PYLKKÄNEN, DR BASEL DALLOUL, THIERRY SAVATIER, DR GREGORY BUCHAKJIAN, RANDA ARMANAZI AND SALEH BARAKAT
ANACHAR BASBOUS Untitled, 2015 Brass, 32x52x29 cm
I first met Anachar Basbous in December 2015 during his solo show at Saleh Barakat Gallery. This was such a striking and memorable encounter that we have remained friends since that time. You could say, perhaps, that our connection, albeit loosely, in some way predated our first meeting, as Rachana – his ancestral village - was a familiar destination during my childhood, when I would join my father on his frequent visits there to a close friend of his from the Basbous family.
It was a great pleasure, therefore, to return to Rachana recently. This last visit was an enriching experience, seeing Anachar and meeting his family, and above all being able to explore his work and the Michel Basbous Museum, dedicated to his late artist father, located on the family estate.
In this issue I invite you all to meet Anachar, his family, and his art, through this special edition of “Being Anachar Basbous “. As well as hearing from Anachar himself, we invited other distinguished guests to share glimpses of their connection to him and his world: Dr Gregory Buchakjian examines the father-son legacy; art historian Thierry Savatier traces the rise of an artist in the context of his familial roots; gallerist Saleh Barakat reflects on the artist’s career to date; Randa Armanazi reveals her role in supporting art and the artist’s work in public space; Dalloul Art Foundation founder Dr Basel Dalloul enthuses on the artist as a talented force and a dear friend; Jussi Pylkkänen, global president of Christie’s auction house, shares the story behind the work that takes pride of place in his office; gallerist Dr Claude Lemand writes about the artist’s upcoming project at IMA in Paris; and architect Jawdat Arnouk reveals more about his collaboration with Anachar on the Mohtaraf Anachar Basbous (MAB) project to be launched in September 2022.
A special thank you goes to Elma, Anachar’s wife, who helped us gather as much information as possible to ensure that this issue offers you an insightful perspective on “Being Anachar Basbous”.
06-15 Anachar Basbous chronology
16-44 Being Anachar Basbous
46-79 An overview of major commissioned works by Anachar Basbous
82-99 Sowing love in the land
102-115 Jawdat Arnouk
A deep bond between art and architecture
116-125 Dr Claude Lemand
Rachana’s Own Star
126-129 Jussi Pylkkänen
Eight and the role of fate
130-135 Dr Basel Dalloul
A star in his own right
136-141 Thierry Savatier
A sublime dialogue of matter and light
142-145 Dr Gregory Buchakjian
Stepping out of the shadow
146-153 Randa Armanazi
An invitation to shine
154-160 Saleh Barakat
The space to bloom
Founder
Rima Nasser
Editor-in-Chief
Anastasia Nysten Designer
Maria Maalouf
Production Coordinator
May Salman
Contributors
Jawdat Arnouk
Dr Claude Lemand
Jussi Pylkkänen
Dr Basel Dalloul
Thierry Savatier
Dr Gregory Buchakjian
Randa Armanazi
Saleh Barakat
Photography (MAB 2022)
Roger Moukarzel
Selections Publishing House FZ LLC
Advertising & Distribution
Advertising & Editorial Inquiries
anastasia@selectionsarts.com
advertise@selectionsarts.com selectionsarts.com
facebook.com/selectionsarts
instagram.com/selections.arts
Special thanks to Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation DAF
Claude and France Lemand Foundation
ARTS-STYLE-CULTURE FROM THE ARAB WORLD AND BEYOND
On the third anniversary of the assassination of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Beirut witnessed the inauguration of three monumental bronze masterpieces by Anachar Basbous. The fivemetre-high flame monument depicts five flags, representing the five Lebanese districts. Every day at 12:55 p.m. - the time of the assassination - blazing flames emerge from its core to the sounds of church bells and the Islamic call to prayer. A memorial obelisk, standing 10.52 metres high to symbolise the surface area of Lebanon, is inscribed with quotes and achievements of the late Prime Minister, as well as excerpts from the national anthem. A bronze statue of the late premier, rising to 3.25 metres high, was sculpted to appear as if he is taking a walk in his garden at home in Koreitem, and looking towards the sea.
In the hands of the artist, simple shapes - a square, a rectangle, a disc or a lens – are cut to pieces before being reconstructed and energised by welding the parts in a way that endows them with a soul. These disc and lens shapes, broken down and reconstituted in this exhibition, are the artist’s “shattered suns”, whose own relationship with sunlight provides a dynamic interaction that gives birth to their vibrancy.
Driven by a fascination with and the relationships between his sculptures and sunlight, Anachar Basbous’ works “pierce space upwards, like big astral machines in a perpetual dialogue with the sun, his sculptural
works becoming pure reflection, the dialogue between nature and architecture, gravity and magnetism, the macrocosm and the microcosm, the body and the spirit, between man and the Cosmos”.
2013 Balance & Light Art Lounge / Beiteddine Palace, Lebanon
Does sculpture represent construction, or destruction? This and other dualities, or double possibilities, were at the fore in this exhibition, including the inspiration of violence expressed in a beautiful way. Here, highly geometric shapes – some purely mathematic, others more innovative, but always geometric – joined together and remained suspended in space in unexpected ways, defying the heaviness of their metallic composition and traditional laws of gravity.
2015
Agial Art Gallery / Beirut Lebanon
Freed from the confines of a traditional base, the works appear to seamlessly float, inviting the viewer to consider the mystery of their composition. Sharp disc/lenslike shapes merge as though drawn together by an invisible gravitational force. Collisions between various pieces never seem at a standstill; rather an illusion of continuous motion lends a potent dynamism.
2016
Art Dubai /AGIAL Art Gallery.
Christie’s acquisition / Art Dubai 2016
“I think the shape is beautiful, I love the surface, the texture is superb, the balance is wonderful, I think this is one for me...” Jussi Pylkkänen, Christie’s Global President.
2016
Abu Dhabi Art fair / AGIAL Art Gallery.
2017
ART CAPITAL / Grand Palais / Paris France.
2018
Saleh Barakat Gallery / Beirut Lebanon.
Representing a bold new direction for Anachar the individual, and for the Basbous legacy, this exhibition was unexpected in its scale and shapes: only a few pieces in the collection reached a metre in height. Contrary to the archetypal Basbous style, all flowing, feminine undulation, these pieces gave a masculine, martial energy. Comprising stone, steel and concrete geometrical shapes, broken and sliced, then rearranged in sometimes jarring patterns, the pieces evoked the chaos and ennui that so inspired artists of the mid-20th century.
2019
Abu Dhabi Art Fair / Saleh Barakat Gallery
2021
“Lumières du Liban”
IMA “Institut du Monde Arabe” Paris, France
“I believe that sculpture must be strong, must not be merely decorative, that beauty itself is not enough, that the work needs a soul to it...” Anachar Basbous
2021
“Between shadows and lights“ Art installation /Art in motion, Ixsir
2022
Dubai Art Fair / Saleh Barakat Gallery
2022
Artcurial - Monaco Sculptures
Anachar Basbous’ “Meteorite“ sculpture was presented among a selection of sculptures by iconic 20th and 21st century artists such as Marino Marini, Cesar, Francois- Xavier
Lalanne, Antony Gormley and Niki de saint Phalle and Bernar Venet, from the end of April to September 2nd, 2022, and included in the auction of July 20th organised by Artcurial SAM.
Anachar Basbous “ Victoire Ailée” Steel Sculpture, 2012 205 x 160 x 75 cm. Art Capital Grand Palais Paris France 2017
“MY CHILDHOOD WAS A HAPPY ONE. I WAS SURROUNDED BY A SCULPTOR FATHER, A POET MOTHER AND SCORES OF COUSINS IN RACHANA, A MYTHICAL VILLAGE SPARED BY A DEVASTATING NATIONWIDE WAR.”
“I GIVE MY SHAPES MOVEMENT… I GIVE THEM MEANING… I ENDOW THEM WITH A SOUL.” ~ ANACHAR BASBOUS
“I AM FASCINATED BY THE NATURAL RUSTY STEEL LENDING EVEN MORE LIFE TO THE VOLUMES, AS IT ANIMATES THE LATTER’S SKIN.” ANACHAR BASBOUS
“IT SHOULD BE UNIQUE FROM A 360-DEGREE VIEW. WHEN YOU WALK AROUND IT, YOU SHOULD DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW AND INTERESTING AT EVERY ANGLE” ANACHAR BASBOUS
I AM THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE BASBOUS FAMILY OF SCULPTORS. MY FATHER, MICHEL BASBOUS, WAS THE FIRST TO BEGIN SCULPTING IN THE FAMILY AND HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST ARTISTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO PRACTICE MODERN SCULPTURE.
Photo by Roger Moukarzel
Indeed, he introduced the region to this genre, thanks to his talent and his dedication to his work.
Michel Basbous was born in 1921 in the village of Rachana. His father, my grandfather, was a priest. As Michel was his eldest child he would accompany and assist him in his work. My father said that the first sculptural shapes he saw were at church. This scene from his childhood of melted candles at the church altar influenced his work. My father used to collect these vertical wax forms caused by melting – each one unique - and study them. He later became known for his obelisk and vertical works that always pointed skywards. I imagine these wax candle forms from his childhood played a role in the spirituality that we see in his work.
In my father’s journal he once wrote: “I was born a sculptor”. In reality, he began sculpting from the age of 14. He became one of the first students to enrol at the newly founded Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) in 1945 and one of its first graduates. Later, in the early 1950s, he went to Europe, and experienced the sculptural renaissance there, when modern sculpture was at its height. He went to Paris, where he joined the atelier of Zadkine. During his time in the city, he observed and learned a lot. This can be seen in his work, which has a richness in culture and components of different civilisations. His openness to the West and his travels there allowed him to add value to the sculptural world in Lebanon and the region after his return to Rachana.
My father’s oeuvre encompassed classical and modern works, sculpture as well as drawings. He even designed and built a foundry next to our family home in 1976 with the help of his brothers. Although it was only active as a foundry for a short time and later became used as both a home and atelier by family members. He never settled when it came to knowledge; he was a constant researcher. Even though he succeeded in every step he took, whether in terms of fame, art, or sales, he wouldn’t stick to a certain trajectory in order to gain success. He was adventurous, always trying new things. Not a lot of artists would do that. He used to say that every time his work became popular and suited people’s tastes, he would switch to another style. This required confidence. That’s why I say he is one of the most confident artists that I have ever known.
He gave his drawings great importance. He wrote in his journal that one day the world would consider him as a great artist in the same way it considered him a great sculptor. Towards the end of his life, he asked my mother to collect all the drawings that he had made since his stay in Paris until the year 1981, spanning a period of 30 years, so he could add his signature to them. He tried to remember the year of each work and added it if he could. I was around 12 years old back then. It is strange how you tend to forget a lot of incidents, but some memories stick with you. To me, as a child, this incident was so symbolic and important. It appeared to me as if he was signing his farewell.
Some of the best memories I have of my father are those from when I was working with him. In the late 1970s, when he was working on a bronze exhibition, he discovered polystyrene, which is easy to work with. He bought me a small hot wire to cut with and gave me the freedom to work however I wanted. I made a piece that he liked and cast it in aluminium. I still have it as it has a special significance. I felt then that I was an equal to my father, as my work appeared alongside the ones he was working on, and I still remember the date and the reaction that I had.
My father was kind, generous, and had huge confidence in himself and his work. This was one of the reasons people loved him. When he experienced success in his work, he asked his brothers to help out, but when he discovered that they were also talented, he encouraged them to work on their own ideas and technical skills so that they would have their own independent art. Similarly, he encouraged Boulos Richa, a blacksmith in Batroun who used to execute his sculptures. Once my father saw his work and found that he had a vision and was good at what he did, he helped him to become a sculptor. He encouraged many others as well.
He gave his drawings great importance. He wrote in his journal that one day the world would consider him as a great artist in the same way it considered him a great sculptor.This page – Above – Left –Charcoal, 107 x 77 cm Michel Basbous, 1957 Right – Chinese Ink 105 x 75 cm Michel Basbous, 1956 Below – Left – Michel Basbous working in Zadkine’s studio, Paris Below – Right – Michel Basbous 1954, Bronze sculpture 75 x 39 x 29 cm Opposite page – Left – Michel Basbous in his workshop late 1950s, Rachana Right – Michel Basbous with Ossip Zadkine 1954 Paris
Some of the best memories I have of my father are those from when I was working with him. In the late 1970s, when he was working on a bronze exhibition, he discovered polystyrene, which is easy to work with. He bought me a small hot wire to cut with and gave me the freedom to work however I wanted. I made a piece that he liked and cast it in aluminium. I still have it as it has a special significance. I felt then that I was an equal to my father, as my work appeared alongside the ones he was working on, and I still remember the date and the reaction that I had.
Above – Anachar Basbous holding the hammer 1970 - Rachana
Below – Left – Anachar Basbous First sculpture Casted Aluminum 18 x 21 x 1 0 cm, 1979
Below – Right – Anachar Basbous First Interview with May Menassa in 1981.
Above – Anachar Basbous with his father 1971 - Rachana
OUR VILLAGE OF RACHANA WAS ALSO AN INSPIRATION FOR MANY; MONA SAUDI FOUND HER PASSION AND LOVE FOR SCULPTING THERE. RACHANA’S PROMINENCE AROSE OUT A DECISION THAT MY FATHER TOOK WHEN HE CAME BACK FROM PARIS. HE HAD A SYMPOSIUM IN ZAHRAT EL-IHSAN IN ACHRAFIEH AND INVITED THE AUDIENCE AND PEOPLE WHO LOVED HIM TO COME OVER TO HIS VILLAGE, WHERE HE DECIDED TO DO AN OPENAIR EXHIBITION. FROM THERE HE STARTED ADDING HIS SCULPTURES, NOT ONLY ON PAVED ROADS BUT EVERYWHERE IN THE VILLAGE.
Our village of Rachana was also an inspiration for many; Mona Saudi found her passion and love for sculpting there. Rachana’s prominence arose out a decision that my father took when he came back from Paris. He had a symposium in Zahrat El-Ihsan in Achrafieh and invited the audience and people who loved him to come over to
his village, where he decided to do an open-air exhibition. From there he started adding his sculptures, not only on paved roads but everywhere in the village.
Although I knew Michel Basbous as my father, it was following his death in 1981 that his friends and brothers added to my knowledge about him. In particular, my mother continued providing the missing pieces that helped me know him better. When your memories are connected to good and trustful information shared with you, they become the truth. She helped me to understand my roots, which are also his roots, and understand him in a poetic way. My mother used to worship him: he was a demi-god for a huge period of my life. My mother created the Michel Basbous Foundation. Today, my wife works at the foundation with me. We have around 1,200 works ranging from sketches to four-metre-high sculptures. Everything is photographed and archived. I got to know my father through his work and through my mother. This acts as a filter: the most important things about my father are his creativity, his love for work and for beauty, which for me is the main constituent of art, even though artists are shy to talk about beauty nowadays.
In 1981 at the time of my father’s death I was 12 years old. My mother took on the role of both parents. I was an only child, so she had a huge impact on my work and my life: who I am today, what I create and my artistic life. She used to grab me by the hand and take me to Beirut to see exhibitions
and gave me so many books to read when I was a teenager. My father’s library is still at home and is rich in books. Before the days of the Internet, when books were the main intellectual tool, this is how I learned about the major artists who influenced my life, such as Arnaldo Pomodoro, César Baldaccini and Louise Nevelson, to name just a few. This helped me become more aware of the world, what other artists were doing, and to consider what direction I should take and even discover myself.
My mother was a poet not only in terms of the books she published but with respect to her daily language and her passion for the sun, sea, and colours. I lost my mother two years ago, but I discovered her more in these two years than throughout the past 50 years. This is strange, but it’s because there are no more silly daily interactions or ego issues that distort your vision. You begin to discover more because the memory becomes clear; it gets rid of bad memories, leaving you with the golden ones that sculpted your personality.
Although I knew Michel Basbous as my father, it was following his death in 1981 that his friends and brothers added to my knowledge about him.Above – Michel Basbous’ studio in Zahrat El-Ihsan Achrafieh Left – Anachar Basbous with his father
My mother enriched my emotions and my brain. Most importantly of all, she used to read me her poems, which are so complex that you have to be a dreamer to understand them. The rhythm that I acquired from her readings, and my own, of her poems has formed the base of all my works. She also granted me blind trust in my capabilities, and this is a source of strength that she gave me. She would always repeat the words uttered by my father whenever, as a young boy aged 10, I would take a fall: he would tell her that I was a grown man.
It is true that my first work of art was a sculpture, but I later studied architecture at ALBA. Then, because of the war, I was forced to travel to Paris, and I did mural design at SAMA (École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d’art). When I came back to Lebanon I worked with modern mosaic and was the first person to introduce it to the area. At that time people only knew Roman and Byzantian mosaics. I love talking about this because there is a similarity between my father’s journey and mine, since he was the first to introduce modern sculpture to the region. After I became well known, working with mosaic and creating façades for buildings and houses, I decided to stop, and I closed the atelier. I moved into sculpture because I felt tired of the technique for mosaics, which requires a wall. Sculptures are free and easy to move around.
My first commissioned sculpture in a public space was “La Barque du Soleil” in Tripoli’s Mina in 1999. In 2008, the Lebanese government decided to reconstruct the huge void that was created after the explosion that assassinated the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. They contacted a number of artists, and I submitted a project.
The idea was to create a fire to keep the memory of the explosion burning in our minds, so I decided to do a flame. The idea was to have the fire burn at the time of the explosion, something that takes place every day and not a sculpture that we can get used to. I did the memorial obelisk engraved with his achievements and inscribed with calligraphy from his important sayings. There was a bronze statue of him as well that was sculpted in a way to look as if he was taking a walk in his garden at home in Koreitem and looking towards the sea. We even integrated a music system between the garden and the flame. The family liked the idea, and we did it.
In 2018, I had an exhibition at the Saleh Barakat Gallery. A group of sculptors were there, and we started discussing whether the material is primary in choosing the shape. My father used to say that every material has its shape. We were discussing the hypothesis, but the answer was in front of us: I had made the same shape from different mediums of steel, wood and stone. I had done something different to what my father believed in.
I always say that my life is divided into two halves: one that belongs to my work and the other to my father’s.
I ALWAYS SAY THAT MY LIFE IS DIVIDED INTO TWO HALVES: ONE THAT BELONGS TO MY WORK AND THE OTHER TO MY FATHER’S.
I AM WORKING ON HIS LEGACY BUT ALSO CREATING MY OWN.
I love talking about this because there is a similarity between my father’s journey and mine, since he was the first to introduce modern sculpture to the region.
I am working on his legacy but also creating my own. The potency of both is so high that sometimes both fail. Because I gave a lot of time to my father’s foundation in the past, I have decided that now it is time to focus on my own work. The foundation and my father’s works will always be here, but what I am creating now cannot be replaced.
My current project is in the village of Rachana, where I live with my wife Elma and two children Shana and Michel. There are three important stages in Rachana’s cultural importance that predate my own current project. The first is when the village was part of the cultural movement of the early 1960s and when it reached its peak fame, becoming a hub for the local and international jet-set. Antoine Moultaka had seen the potential of staging a performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth among my father’s haunting sculptures. Other performances followed in its wake, including international productions from France and Italy, among them Seven Against Thebes directed by Jack Lang, who later became France’s minister of culture. These were years when there were festivals in both Baalbeck and Rachana. By the end of 1964 my father felt that this project of Rachana Festival that he presided over was occupying time that should be dedicated to his creativity instead, so he decided to put the project on hold. From that time onward his sole interest was sculpture.
a wheel of a truck and used it in their work. I did this once and it was a nice experience; however, for the same reason as my father gave before me, I had to put it on hold.
I was born in a garden of sculptures - there are many at home that are older than me. However, I had been wanting to physically separate my work from my father’s, so for two years now I have been working on my own project. The architect is my friend, Jawdat Arnouk, with whom we created a team to work on the concept. I had a piece of land in a strategic location, on which we designed a building with terraces and landscaping. The building is constructed from concrete, implanted in the ground and directed towards the sea. We live in a village that has architectural and geographic traditions. For example, people choose a place where to deposit and pile up stones and call it a “rejmeh”. There would be a threshing floor (“baydar”) on it and the “baysa” is the place where wheat and oat are separated in the open air, as this area is well known for its winds. So, I converted this “rejmeh” into a showpiece. I initially thought about having green plants around it, but I changed my mind as this area was originally built from rocks and I decided to keep them as the main component of my landscaping. I sculpted them so they turned into a huge piece of architecture that welcomes different-sized sculptures. I decided to have the garden and the inner hall connected visually so that the inside view would become the outside and vice versa. Even the roof is a place to exhibit, with sculptures placed there. On the roof, the connection to the universe of Rachana would be heightened. The five elements of Nature fire, water, space, earth and air are all present in this construction.
Later, in 1994, Michel’s brother Alfred launched an international sculpture symposium with the help of the family. This was the first of its kind in the Arab world. We invited sculptors from various countries to work on sculptures that they would leave in Rachana. Alfred organised this event every year until 2005. Then, four years ago, I started something called Land Art in Rachana. Once again, this was a first in the Arab world, and I organised it in partnership with universities. Land art involves artists going to a space in nature and creating work from the material that can be found on site. ALBA students made an installation from tree leaves, while LAU students found
I converted this “rejmeh” into a showpiece. I initially thought about having green plants around it, but I changed my mind as this area was originally built from rocks and I decided to keep them as the main component of my landscaping
PLACED ON THE ROOF, THE CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSE OF RACHANA WOULD BE HEIGHTENED. THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF NATURE FIRE, WATER, SPACE, EARTH AND AIR ARE ALL PRESENT IN THIS CONSTRUCTION.
Anachar Basbous in his workshop, Rachana
OF MAJOR COMMISSIONED WORKS BY ANACHAR BASBOUS IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACES AND COLLECTIONS.
This page – Anachar Basbous, Steel, 195 x 365 x 100 cm, 2012
I WAS BORN IN A FIELD OF SCULPTURES, IN RACHANA, THE NATIVE VILLAGE OF MY FATHER MICHEL BASBOUS, MYSELF, AND MY CHILDREN, SHANA AND MICHEL. WITH MY WIFE ELMA, WE LIVE IN THIS VILLAGE WHERE NATURE AND SCULPTURES MARRY IN TOTAL HARMONY.
My first visual contact with sculpting occurred, therefore, in my earliest days.
I made my first sculpture in my father’s studio when I was ten years old: an aluminium sculpture that I have treasured all these years. It was a premonitory sculpture, a deconstructed then reconstructed cube which became a seed that germinated 30 years later to inspire me during my first major exhibition in downtown Beirut.
My interest in architecture led me to enrol at the University of ALBA, where I did a preparatory year. Then afterwards, my destination was Paris, for the ENSAAMA school, where I studied mural decoration.
Once back in Lebanon, I began to express myself through modern mosaic before devoting myself after four years entirely to sculpting. My first sculptures were not very far from those of the first generation of Basbous artists, but with time and work I began to find my own way and originality, which felt closer to my ten-year-old sculpture than to any other influence. I was interested in the great world sculptors like Richard Serra, Bernar Venet, Anish Kapoor, Anselm Kiefer, Arnaldo Pomodoro, César Baldaccini, Antony Gormley, Tony Cragg and others.
With work and time, Rachana became more and more populated with sculptures, as mine were added to those of my father and my uncles. The spaces became saturated, and I felt it was essential to create a new exhibition space.
I had bought a plot of land in front of my house in Rachana, overlooking the sea and with two very characteristic elements of the villages of our region. The first element is the “baydar”, a site, chosen very
carefully by the villagers for its flatness and openness to the wind, where wheat seeds were separated from oats after harvesting. The second element, the “rejmeh”, constitutes a large embankment of small stones that the villagers would group together while clearing their land.
The decision to build a new space, MAB, “Mohtaraf Anachar Basbous” (Atelier Anachar Basbous), on this land was taken quite quickly. My architect, Jawdat Arnouk, and I decided to create a monolithic raw concrete building, embedded on the east side in the ground, and extending to the west in a cantilever in a flight towards the sea. The building consists of three sections for exhibitions:
- The roof, designed as a continuation of the village road, is accessible with a few steps from the east side.
MY FIRST SCULPTURES WERE NOT VERY FAR FROM THOSE OF THE FIRST GENERATION OF BASBOUS ARTISTS, BUT WITH TIME AND WORK I BEGAN TO FIND MY OWN WAY AND ORIGINALITY
- The main room, with its large bay windows on the north and west sides, is for large sculptures. This room overlooks the stone garden, the “baydar” and the “rejmeh”.
- The small room, below the large one, is for medium and small sized sculptures. A large glass door opens onto a covered outdoor area. A raw concrete staircase connects this floor to the upper garden space.
I sculpted the “rejmeh” to make “land art”, playing with the stones, their colours, sizes and textures, creating exhibition platforms, and sometimes keeping part of a wall built by the village ancestors. The top of the “rejmeh” received the “baydar”, a space whose shape I kept intact, as its proportion and location were so perfect. The large bay windows of the main room overlook the “baydar”, which has become an exhibition space.
Thanks to this project, the sculptures of
Michel Basbous have found their original space, and mine have found a minimalist, made-to-measure space.
From now on, a dialogue will take place between two generations and two eras which complement one another with both their resemblance and their opposition, thus each enhancing the other.
This project took two years to execute; two years marked by Covid and the financial crisis. This was an act of resistance armed with the love of art.
We wanted to create a site full of beauty, authenticity, hope, and love.
THE DECISION TO BUILD A NEW SPACE, MAB - MOHTARAF ANACHAR BASBOUS, ON THIS LAND WAS TAKEN QUITE QUICKLY.
Je suis né dans un champ de sculptures, à Rachana, village natal de mon père Michel Basbous, du mien, et de mes enfants Shana et Michel. Avec ma femme Elma, nous vivons dans ce village où nature et sculptures se marient dans une harmonie totale.
Mon premier contact visuel avec la sculpture fut donc dès mes premiers jours. J’ai réalisé ma première sculpture dans l’atelier de mon père à l’âge de dix ans. Une sculpture en aluminium que j’ai gardé précieusement toutes ces années. Une sculpture prémonitoire, un cube décomposé puis recomposé qui était une graine qui a germé trente ans plus tard pour m’inspirer lors de ma première grande exposition au centre-ville de Beyrouth.
Mon intérêt pour l’architecture me mena à m’inscrire à l’ALBA, où j’ai fait une année préparatoire. Puis après, direction Paris, pour l’école ENSAAMA, où j’ai étudié le décor mural.
De retour au Liban, je commence à m’exprimer à travers la mosaïque moderne, et cela pendant quatre ans, pour qu’ensuite je me consacre entièrement à la sculpture.
Mes premières sculptures n’étaient pas très loin de la sculpture de la première génération des Basbous, mais avec le temps et le travail, je commençais à trouver ma propre voie, mon originalité qui étaient plus proches de ma sculpture de dix ans que de toute autre influence.
Je m’intéressais aux grands sculpteurs mondiaux comme Serra, Venet, Kapoor, Kiefer, Pomodoro, César, Gormley, Craig et autres.
Avec le travail et le temps, Rachana se peuplaient de plus en plus de sculptures,
les miennes venaient s’ajouter à celles de mon père et mes oncles. Les espaces se saturaient et je sentais qu’il était primordial de créer un nouvel espace d’exposition.
J’avais acheter un terrain en face de ma maison à Rachana, qui surplombe la mer et surtout avec deux éléments très caractéristiques des villages de notre région : le premier c’est le « baydar », un espace plat qui se situe dans un endroit très venté. Sur ce site très bien choisi par les villageois, on séparait les graines de blé de l’avoine après la moisson. Le deuxième, une « rejmeh », c’est un grand talus de petites pierres que les villageois regroupent en nettoyant leur terre.
La décision de construire MAB “Mohtaraf Anachar Basbous” sur ce terrain fut prise assez vite. Mon architecte Jawdat Arnouk et moi avons décidé de créer un bâtiment monolithique en béton brute, incrusté du côté Est dans le sol, et se prolongeant vers l’Ouest en porte-à-faux dans un envol vers la mer. Ce bâtiment comprend trois parties d’expositions
- Le toit, conçu comme continuité de la route du village, est accessible par quelques marches du côté Est.
- La grande salle avec ses grandes bais vitrées des côtés Nord et Ouest, reçoit les grandes sculptures. Cette salle donne sur le jardin de pierres, le « baydar » et la « rejmeh ».
- La petite salle, en dessous de la grande, reçoit les sculptures de taille moyennes et petites. Une grande porte vitrée s’ouvre sur un espace extérieur couvert. Un escalier en béton brute joint cet étage à l’espace supérieur du jardin.
J’ai sculpté la « rejmeh » pour en faire du « Land Art », jouant avec les pierres, leurs
couleurs, leurs tailles, et leurs textures, créant des plateformes d’expositions, et tantôt gardant une partie d’un mur bâti par les ancêtres. Le haut de la « rejmeh » recevait le « baydar », un espace dont j’ai gardé la forme intacte, tellement sa proportion et sa localisation étaient parfaites. Les grandes bais vitrées de la salle principale donnaient sur le « baydar », devenu espace d’expositions.
Grâce à ce projet, les sculptures de Michel Basbous ont retrouvé leur espace originel, et les miennes ont retrouvé un espace minimaliste créé sur mesure.
Désormais un dialogue se tiendra entre deux générations, deux époques, qui se complètent avec leur ressemblance et leur opposition, se mettant en valeur réciproquement.
Ce projet a pris deux ans d’exécution, les deux années du Covid et de la crise financière. Un acte de résistance avec comme arme l’amour de l’art.
Nous avons voulu créer un site chargé de beauté, d’authenticité, d’espoir, et d’amour.
A SITE FULL OF BEAUTY, AUTHENTICITY, HOPE, AND LOVE.
THIS PROJECT TOOK TWO YEARS TO EXECUTE; TWO YEARS MARKED BY COVID AND THE FINANCIAL CRISIS.
BY JAWDAT ARNOUK
BY JAWDAT ARNOUK
Jawdat Arnouk holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the “Université du Saint Esprit a Kaslik – USEK,” from where he graduated with honour in 1992. His career started in Lebanon with Archico-consultants, where he gained broad experience, beginning in 1988, when he designed his first executed project in Achrafieh-Lebanon.
He set up the first branch of Archico in Kaslik in 1996 in partnership with his father, brother, and wife, followed by another in Beirut in 2001 and soon became principal architect / partner.
He joined the ESA in 2000 for an executive Master of Business Administration and joined ALBA University as a course instructor for five semesters.
My association with Anachar Basbous all started over a bottle of good wine in Rachana a few years back while I was visiting the place. I was then commissioned to carry out the house extension and the pool. It was a challenge as I had to intervene in a construction made by the eminent artist, the late Michel Basbous. It was a huge responsibility.
The success of that venture and many debates on sculpture and architecture ended up becoming a form of complicity. We wandered around the globe, visiting museums together at the four corners of the Earth. We lived the strong tie between sculpture and architecture.
MAB’s concept was generated from a close dialogue between the artist and the architect. From the beginning, the excavation process was respectful of the
environment. Earth was removed from the site, and then the concrete juggernaut landed between the olive trees. A joint workshop with Anachar involved form and function, finishes and techniques. A decision was made to use basic raw materials and land art as a landscape using stones from the site. Anachar started filling the space with art while MAB was taking shape; the site was alive even before MAB was engendered.
I created one gesture in counterpoint with the olive grove, stretching towards the blue horizon, respectful of its future inhabitants, protecting the space from direct sunlight in osmosis with the slope, the village church, and gray stone from the site.
MAB offers its roof as an art platform, a place of worship of the earth, the wind, and the horizon.
His projects expanded from Beirut to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in addition to Algeria, Egypt, Ukraine, and Sudan. He set up office in Dubai in 2006 and joined the Society of Engineers of UAE, where he has achieved various projects. In Lebanon, he was a pioneer in the development of beach resorts and achieved major renowned venues.
Since 2018, he has been a guest member of the jury at USEK for interior design graduation projects.
He formed a second base in Nigeria in 2021 and in KSA in 2022 and is currently a member of the Society of Engineers in Saudi Arabia. His office has developed an international reputation and has a diverse portfolio of projects many of which were featured in the press.
Anachar Basbous and Jawdat Arnouk Guggenheim Museum New YorkMOHTARAF ANACHAR BASBOUS, OR MAB, IS A FORM OF HOMAGE PAID BY ANACHAR TO HIS FAMILY, HIS PARENTS, AND HIS VILLAGE.
WE WANDERED AROUND THE GLOBE, VISITING MUSEUMS TOGETHER AT THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH. WE LIVED THE STRONG TIE BETWEEN SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURE.
A number of Anachar’s emblematic sculptures are worthy of being inscribed in the artistic heritage of Humanity. What joy it would be to own a large garden with one of his sculptures in it. What joy it is for a population - whether one is a solitary walker, with family, friends or children, in Lebanon or anywhere else in this vast terrain of our global village - to be able to visit a public garden, take a seat on a bench, to rest, meditate and commune with the soul of an artist’s sculpture inhabited by grace, and with nature surrounding it. And to be able to walk around it. Let us dream!
Let us dream, when all the calamities of the world fell on the people of Lebanon and on its Eden-like landscapes. Famine, disease, ugliness, violence, corruption ... all congregated in this corner of paradise and conspired
Before opening The Galerie Dr Claude Lemand in 1988, Dr Claude Lemand was a university professor until 1988. His passion for painting, sculpture and artists’ books led him to drop everything in June 1988, in order to focus on building up a collection and founding a gallery in Paris.
From 1989 onwards, Dr Claude Lemand was one of the first gallerists to embark on promoting major Arab artists who had settled in the West, through the organisation of exhibitions, the purchase of works, the edition of bronze sculptures and the publication of important monographs.
Dr Claude Lemand is also a publisher who has a passion for poetry and original artist’s books. The inauguration of his gallery took place in October 1988 in conjunction with the publication of Marguerite Yourcenar’s `Le dernier amour du Prince Genghi’ in a beautiful book designed and illustrated with etchings by Abdallah Benanteur, printed as a limited edition of only 33 copies.
Since then, Dr Claude Lemand has published the monographs of Benanteur as well as that of Shafic Abboud. Furthermore, he organised many exhibitions around the subject of `Painting & Poetry. Artists of the Book’, which explore the richness of original manuscript and illustrated books. In October 2008, on the 20th anniversary of his gallery, Dr Claude Lemand opened a second gallery which is a space dedicated to the important works of his artists to be displayed and to the preparation of retrospectives or major exhibitions which he organises in France or in other countries.
Between 2018 and 2021, Claude and France Lemand donated 1700 works of art to the IMA. To date, as a researcher and curator, Dr Claude Lemand has organised eight exhibitions at the IMA, including the Shafic Abboud Retrospective in 2011, Lumières du Liban in 2021, Algérie mon amour, and Baya, femmes en leur Jardin in 2022-2023.
against this people known across the world for their culture, their love of life, their talents, and their many merits.
Anachar’s sculptures form a dialogue with the nature of Rachana, this gardenvillage of sculptures designed by his illustrious father Michel and his brothers, in harmony with this Lebanese land that is blessed by the gods, sung of by so many poets, and painfully missed by the Lebanese diaspora pushed into exile; in harmony with the blue sea, the air, and the light that is so particular to Lebanon, and which inspired so many artists; in harmony with its daytime sky and the myriad stars that cradle it at night.
I am happy and proud to have guessed, from the moment of our first meeting in Paris, that Anachar Basbous would be a sculptor capable of designing an installation on the forecourt of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), forming a dialogue with and homage to the facade of Jean Nouvel, then to remove all its stars to leave only one large meteorite, which will take its place in the IMA’s new Alley of Sculptures. His project exceeded all my expectations. Thank you, dear Anachar, for reminding us of our communal stellar origin, stardust. Thank you for making us dream!
ANACHAR BASBOUS’S SCULPTURES SOOTHE AND ENCHANT ME; THEY MAKE ME DREAM AND CARRY ME FAR AWAY. THEY ARE MADE WITH HUMAN HANDS AND A CELESTIAL SPIRIT. THEY BELONG TO A CULTURE OF MAGICAL OBJECTS: THEIR FORMS ARE MODERN AND UNIVERSAL.DR CLAUDE LEMAND
LES SCULPTURES D’ANACHAR BASBOUS M’APAISENT ET M’ENCHANTENT, ELLES ME FONT RÊVER ET ME TRANSPORTENT.
ELLES SONT FAITES DE MAINS D’HOMME ET D’ESPRIT CÉLESTE. ELLES APPARTIENNENT
À UNE CULTURE DE L’OBJET MAGIQUE, LEURS FORMES SONT MODERNES ET UNIVERSELLES.
Certaines sculptures emblématiques d’Anachar seraient dignes d’être inscrites au patrimoine artistique de l’Humanité.
Quel bonheur serait d’avoir un grand jardin avec l’une de ses sculptures ! Quel bonheur pour une population, - quand on est promeneur solitaire ou en famille ou avec des amis ou des enfants, au Liban et partout ailleurs de par le vaste monde de notre village planétaire, - de pouvoir aller dans un jardin public, s’asseoir sur un banc pour se reposer, méditer et communier avec l’âme d’une sculpture d’un artiste habité par la grâce, et avec la nature qui l’entoure ! Et pouvoir tourner autour. Rêvons
Rêvons, quand toutes les calamités du monde se sont abattues sur le peuple du
JE SUIS HEUREUX ET FIER D’AVOIR DEVINÉ
DÈS NOTRE PREMIÈRE RENCONTRE À
PARIS, QU’ANACHAR BASBOUS SERAIT UN SCULPTEUR CAPABLE DE CONCEVOIR UNE INSTALLATION SUR LE PARVIS DE L’INSTITUT
DU MONDE, EN DIALOGUE ET EN HOMMAGE
À LA FAÇADE DE JEAN NOUVEL, PUIS DE RETIRER TOUTES SES ÉTOILES POUR NE
LAISSER QU’UNE GRANDE MÉTÉORITE, QUI
VIENDRAIT PRENDRE SA PLACE DANS LA NOUVELLE ALLÉE DES SCULPTURES DE L’IMA.
Liban et sur ses paysages édéniques. La famine, la maladie, la laideur, la violence, la corruption … se sont rassemblées sur ce coin de paradis et contre ce peuple mondialement connu pour sa culture, son amour de la vie, ses dons et ses mérites.
Les sculptures d’Anachar sont en dialogue avec la nature de Rachana, ce village-jardin de sculptures voulu par son illustre père Michel et ses frères, en harmonie avec cette terre libanaise - bénie des dieux, chantée par tant de poètes et qui fait mal au cœur des Libanais de la diaspora poussés à l’exil -, en harmonie avec la mer bleue, l’air et la lumière si particulière du Liban, qui a inspiré tant d’artistes, en harmonie avec son ciel de jour et la myriade d’étoiles qui le bercent la nuit.
Je suis heureux et fier d’avoir deviné, dès notre première rencontre à Paris, qu’Anachar Basbous serait un sculpteur capable de concevoir une installation sur le parvis de l’Institut du monde, en dialogue et en hommage à la façade de Jean Nouvel, puis de retirer toutes ses étoiles pour ne laisser qu’une grande météorite, qui viendrait prendre sa place dans la nouvelle Allée des Sculptures de l’IMA. Son projet a dépassé toutes mes espérances. Merci cher Anachar de nous rappeler notre origine stellaire commune, des poussières d’étoiles. Merci de nous faire rêver !
What then if this genius is the father of a work that made us dream during our young student days in Paris?
This magical facade of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), unequalled in modern architecture, this filter of light, this enchanting mechanism, this arabesque rooted in our Arab culture yet projected into the 21st century, still makes us dream.
The dream
This nocturnal visitor often transports us when the stars reveal themselves to us, yet this time the steel stars of this facade sparkle by day as much as by night.
My dream will begin by imagining the shapes of these stars escaping from these voids and landing on this space in a rigorous and respectful rhythm, each different from the other but all like offspring of the same father.
Sculptures of “stars” or rather “stardust”. This time these sculptures will have the same material as their matrix facade: they will be made out of steel.
I imagine a field of stars, of star-flowers, where the spectator can sidle between these alleys, and approach the starsculptures, touching them on a cosmic journey.
Let us dream that for a few days the celestial bodies will visit us at the bottom of this matrix façade, this star-making machine.
This is a mass of iron whose very structure suggests its vertiginous journey through space.
The circular elements that make up this meteorite-sculpture swirl and gravitate around each other.
The energy and dynamism created are only the reflection of its spatial journey. Its general shape is closer to a pebble, a shape that is curled, chiselled, polished by friction in the air.
It is a sculpture that evokes massiveness and dynamism, opacity and transparency, gravity and weightlessness.
It is an extra-terrestrial meteoritesculpture.
It is a mysterious object that comes to land on the forecourt of the IMA. It is a UFO which comes to appropriate a privileged place in front of this dream facade.
A crater
An impact
A shock
A trace
A trace is always related to time: the present, the past and often the future. It is emotion.
It touches us and becomes part of our being.
A creation, a joy, an encounter, a discovery are transformed into traces.
This crater would be this trace, this emotion transmitted by this place.
WHEN WE INITIATE A DIALOGUE WITH A GENIUS THAT WE LOVE, WITHOUT KNOWING HIM PERSONALLY, WE FORM A DIALOGUE WITH HIS WORK WHILE TRYING TO TOUCH HIS GREATNESS.
Que serait-ce s’il est le père d’une œuvre qui nous a fait rêver, étant encore jeune étudiant à Paris.
Cette façade magique de l’IMA, inégalée dans l’architecture moderne, ce filtre de lumière, ce mécanisme enchanteur, cette arabesque enracinée dans notre culture arabe mais projetée dans le 21eme siècle, nous fait rêver encore.
Le Rêve
Ce visiteur nocturne qui souvent nous transporte lorsque les étoiles se montrent à nous, cette fois les étoiles en acier de cette façade sont aussi étincelantes de jour comme de nuit.
Mon rêve débutera en imaginant les formes de ces étoiles s’échapper de ces vides et se poser sur la place dans un rythme rigoureux et respectueux, chacune différente de l’autre mais comme des progénitures d’un même père. Des sculptures « étoiles » ou plutôt « poussière d’étoiles ».
Cette fois ces sculptures auront la même matière que leur matrice « la façade », elles seront en acier.
J’imagine un champ d’étoiles, d’étoiles-fleurs où le spectateur pourrait se faufiler entre ces allées, et s’approcher des étoiles-sculptures, les toucher dans un parcours cosmique.
Rêvons que pour quelques jours les astres nous rendront visite en bas de cette façade matrice, cette machine fabricante d’étoiles.
Sculpture Météorite
C’est une masse de fer dont la structure
même suggère son parcours vertigineux à travers l’espace. Les éléments circulaires qui constituent cette sculpture-météorite tourbillonnent et gravitent les uns autour des autres. L’énergie et le dynamisme créés ne sont que le reflet de son voyage spatial.
Sa forme générale se rapproche plus d’un cailloux une forme ramassée sur elle-même, ciselée, polie par le frottement de l’air.
C’est une sculpture qui évoque,massivité et dynamisme, opacité et transparence,pesanteur et apesanteur.
C’est une sculpture-meteorite extraterrestre.
C’est un objet mystérieux qui vient atterrir sur le parvis de l’IMA.
C’est un OVNI qui vient s’approprier une place privilégiée face à cette façade de rêve.
Un cratère
Un impact
Un choc
Une trace
Une trace est toujours en relation avec le temps,le present, le passé et souvent le futur. Elle est émotion.
Elle nous touche et devient partie intégrante de notre être.
Une création,une joie,une rencontre, une découverte se transforment en traces. Ce cratère serait cette trace cette émotion transmise par ce lieu.
Jussi Pylkkänen is a Finnish art dealer, and the global president of the auction house Christie’s.
Jussi Pylkkänen was educated at King’s College School in Wimbledon, and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University, and a master’s degree in Fine and Decorative Art.
Pylkkänen is a governor of the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Eight and the role of fate
BY JUSSI“ SHAPES WERE JUTTING FROM THE GROUND LIKE EVER-GROWING TREES.
I CAN STILL SEE MYSELF CLIMBING THOSE STONE FORTRESSES, THOSE MODERN TOWERS CARVED BY MY FATHER’S HANDS; HIDING BEHIND THOSE FIGURES, PLAYING WITH COUSINS AND FRIENDS.
THAT WAS MY PLAYGROUND...” – ANACHAR BASBOUS
Anachar Basbous, Corten Steel, 40 x 60 x 50 cm, 2016 JUSSI PYLKKÄNENAnachar Basbous lives in Rachana, often described as a dreamy village, dappled with open-air sculptures overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, which would surely be worth a visit to understand the artist fully whilst being surrounded by the land, sea and things from which he retrieves inspiration. Growing up within a family of artists, Anachar’s father Michel Basbous (1921-1981) and two uncles (Michel’s brothers), Alfred Basbous (1924-2006) and Youssef Basbous (19292001), he was exposed at an early age to sculptural carvings, poetry and nature; even Anachar’s name backwards is a word play on the name of his home village in the Batroun district. As Anachar states of his quaint village, “I was born in a field of sculptures. This place is my reference; I hold this village’s name in mine.”
I have always been a great supporter of contemporary Middle Eastern artists and have made countless, lasting friendships with many of the artists, collectors and dealers working in the region.
Back in 2016 I was lucky enough to be filming at the Art Dubai fair, where a very special Anachar Basbous Corten steel disc sculpture caught my eye. I chose to have the sculpture in the background, where a young BBC technician was positioned with his rather cumbersome sound equipment. The poor chap lost his footing
as recording began, and fortunately the boom missed this sculpture whilst knocking over another work beside it, which to everyone’s relief survived unharmed. Fate works in mysterious ways because this spillage led to me buying the wonderful Basbous sculpture, which holds pride of place in my office here at Christie’s.
All auctioneers are superstitious by nature; number 8 has always been my lucky number. Lot 8 has tended to break many world records for owners when I have been auctioneering in Christie’s sales around the world. The Basbous sculpture is made of eight discs, which is another key reason why I had to have it!
This lovely sculpture in my office in London serves also as a warm memento of the larger ambitions of the Basbous family for the international sculpting community.
Jussi Pylkkänen with Shana Basbous, Anachar’s daughter at Christie’s office, London
Anachar was one of the artists with whom I had the privilege of working on a charity fundraiser, right after the Beirut Port explosion in 2020. I remember how generous he was, offering up a couple of major works. He is also the type of person you could run into anywhere, and he’ll stop and take the time to ask how you are.
Anachar comes from Rachana, a village north-east of Byblos, made famous primarily by his father, Michel, and to a slightly lesser degree, by his uncles, Alfred and Joseph, as a sculptors’ haven. In fact, Anachar’s own name is Rachana written backwards. Today, when thinking of the Basbous brothers, Alfred is the one who stands out more than the real powerhouse among them, Michel. This
Dr Basel Dalloul founded the Dalloul Art Foundation in 2017 to manage and promote his father’s (Dr. Ramzi Dalloul) vast collection of modern and contemporary Arab art. At over 4,000 pieces it is the largest collection of its kind in private hands. The collection includes but is not limited to paintings, photography, sculpture, video and mixed media art. Dalloul has had a passion for art since he was very young, inspired by his mother and father, both of whom are also passionate about art in all its forms.
medium is metals of all sorts. I personally love his curved pieces, which I find flawless and sublime.
Over the years I’ve known Anachar, he has evolved and refined his craft considerably. I recently joined my dear friend Rima Nasser, publisher of this magazine, on a visit to Rachana. I arrived at the residence a little early. Rima and Anachar were still filming a segment for a video at one of Anachar’s studios off the main property. I decided to check out his new cantilevered gallery, jutting out of the mountain towards the sea. It was so stunning that I couldn’t help but gravitate towards it. What I saw outside and inside it was a feast for the eyes!
During our visit, I also got to see a sculpture garden dedicated to his father, featuring the great Michel Basbous’s
monumental works, along with a gallery and an amazing avant-garde home his late father built for his late mother.
Having known Anachar for quite some time now, I would say he has come into his own and is a rising star in the world of sculpture in his own right. My friend continues his father’s and uncles’ legacies, and just as important, the legacy of the village of Rachana, the village made known for sculpture by his family. He is an artist I certainly plan on continuing to support, both in my personal capacity and in my role as Chairman and Director of the Dalloul Art Foundation, and an artist I would highly recommend to anyone interested in contemporary sculpture from the Arab world. I wish my dear friend all the welldeserved best during his show. I can’t wait to see what he does next!
is in large part due to the relentless work that his son, and my dear friend, Fadi Basbous, Anachar’s cousin, does to keep his own father’s legacy alive. Fadi does this very well. The fact remains that the Basbous who put Rachana on the map in Lebanon was Michel, Anachar’s father. Thus, the burden of continuing Rachana’s and the Basbous brothers’ legacy, now falls on Anachar and his very active and equally generous cousin Fadi.
Anachar extends his father’s legacy by taking central elements of his father’s oeuvre and creating a new and more modern evolution of this work. He has done this flawlessly and created his own signature style of sculpture. While Anachar works with stone and wood, his primary
I MET MY TALENTED AND NOW DEAR FRIEND ANACHAR BASBOUS QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO WHILE BUYING A PIECE FROM HIM FOR THE DALLOUL ART FOUNDATION. I REMEMBER HOW FRIENDLY AND GROUNDED HE WAS, AND STILL IS, CONSIDERING HOW TALENTED HE IS.DR BASEL DALLOUL AND ANACHAR BASBOUS PICTURE BY ROGER MOUKARZEL Anachar Basbous, Untitled, 2017. Stainless steel, 80 x 110 x 55 cm
HAVING KNOWN ANACHAR FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW, I WOULD SAY HE HAS COME INTO HIS OWN AND IS A RISING STAR IN THE WORLD OF SCULPTURE IN HIS OWN RIGHT.
Opposite page – Anachar Basbous, Untitled, 2022 Corten Steel, 125 x 170 x 150 cm
Below – Dr Basel Dalloul and Anachar Basbous
ANACHAR BASBOUS WAS BORN IN RACHANA (LEBANON) IN 1969. HIS FIRST NAME IS ALSO AN ANAGRAM OF THE NAME OF HIS VILLAGE. FROM THE TIME OF HIS BIRTH, HE WAS IMMERSED IN ART IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
Thierry Savatier is an art historian and scientific exhibitions curator, with a specialisation in Gustave Courbet and Pablo Picasso. As well as being the author of several essays devoted to 19th and 20th century literature and art, he is an art critic, having written several texts on contemporary artists, notably Lebanese and Syrian.
His mother, Thérèse Aouad Basbous, was a poet and novelist; his father, the internationally renowned sculptor Michel Basbous, is one of the major 20th century Lebanese artists. His childhood was consequently marked by creation, the aesthetic importance given to forms, and the talent of Michel Basbous that he attentively observed at the workshop. He even proclaims - and we have to take this expression almost literally – to have been “born in a field of sculptures”.
As a precocious talent, Anachar Basbous perfected his first sculpture at the age of ten, which caught his father’s attention and ended up being cast and exhibited. Two years later, the passing of this beloved father and mentor left him with a deep wound. This may be the reason why he
chose to study architecture rather than sculpture at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. He then continued his studies at the National School of Applied Arts and Crafts in Paris, in another field: architectural mosaic. After returning to Lebanon in 1992, he worked on a number of decorations for the facades of public and private buildings. However, the experience he had acquired with Michel Basbous marked him deeply, which is why he soon decided to devote himself exclusively to sculpture. Stone, wood, bronze and steel would gradually constitute his universe.
While he admits to being influenced in his career by his parents, it was equally in his father’s library that this lover of art books drew on the resources to perfect his vision.
THIERRY SAVATIER Opposite page – Image by Roger Moukarzel.While he was attracted, like his father, to the figurative forms of Alberto Giacometti and Henry Moore, he also had a special interest in Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp or Max Bill.
Although it is difficult to make a name for yourself in the art world, it is even more difficult in a dynasty of creators. Yet, Anachar Basbous succeeded in doing so, by not seeking to extend or imitate the artistry of his father but by creating his own aesthetic.
His sculptures, sometimes of monumental dimensions, favour refined formsparticularly curves - with their complexity appearing in the associations he chooses, occasionally suggesting a precarious balance while being imbued with spirituality. They instantly strike the viewer, whose eye must be tamed before the elegant arches, the sharp edges (less frequent), the whole geometry offered to the light and culminating in beauty and harmony. A harmony that is not fortuitous. The artist himself admits this; he does not commit to a new project without having previously studied the space that will host the artwork (luminosity, environment, materials, etc.). As for the subject, it is always secondary to him.
Among his preferred materials, stainless steel and, above all, self-renewing oxide patina (Corten) hold a privileged place.
Very few artists are attracted to this industrial material - with the notable exception of Richard Serra, Barnett Newman or Bernar Venet. Was it the study of architecture that familiarised Anachar Basbous with Corten steel, generally used in the construction of buildings and artworks? Is it his mastery of colours, essential to the practice of mosaic, that was seduced by the unique particularity of this alloy and its gradual colour modification when exposed to bad weather and other vagaries of time,
since the oxidation process changes its appearance over the years from grey to orange, to deep brown tinged with reddish reflections? We can readily admit that the fact that nature participates in the elaboration of the work fits beautifully into the artist’s creative process.
From the beginning, the artist was undoubtedly fascinated by the mechanical properties of Corten steel, which tolerates all kinds of audacity. The range of possibilities offered, in terms of forms, including the most aerial ones, becomes almost infinite. This material is perfect for this sculptor, as his work frequently breaks free from the direct carving tradition, which consists of subtracting material from a block of stone, wood, etc. Rather, he prefers to proceed by additions, an assembly of modules, just like a builder. His art is modular and dynamic.
This results in mostly abstract compositions, which the viewer cannot capture from a predefined angle. Denying the provocation of Charles Baudelaire who stated, in his Salon of 1846, that sculpture was “at the same time vague and elusive, because it [showed] too many faces at once”, Anachar Basbous invites us to explore each of his works, to apprehend precisely all the aspects, to discover the movements, the metamorphoses and the contrasts that they suggest.
This invitation acts favourably on the intrigued gaze of the spectator since, in these sculptures, the void counts as much as the fullness, and the artist’s dialogue with light is as valuable as that with the material, to the point they result in mutual conversation. Moreover, the play of shadows evolves over time in the metal: the projected shadows move on the ground, the work appears to be alive.
It is always difficult to interpret an abstract creation when there are multiple guides to its reading, which are sometimes contradictory and most of the time imperceptible and mysterious. No
WHILE HE ADMITS TO BEING INFLUENCED IN HIS CAREER BY HIS PARENTS, IT WAS EQUALLY IN HIS FATHER’S LIBRARY THAT THIS LOVER
OF ART BOOKS DREW ON THE RESOURCES TO PERFECT HIS VISION.Opposite page - Anachar Basbous, Steel, 100 x 100 x 50 cm, 2021 This page - Picture by Roger Moukarzel.
narrative element comes to our rescue. This absence obviously allows us full leisure for appreciation, leaving us with a freedom of interpretation in which our imagination is the only limit. The concept proposed by Marcel Duchamp, according to which there are as many works as viewers, finds here, more than elsewhere, its concrete application. However, the most beautiful part of these sculptures appeals less to intellectualisation than to emotion, renewed throughout the 360-degree observation they offer. It is there, without a doubt, as our mind touches the peaks, ascending as if in a hot air balloon, that we become aware of their spiritual dimension.
Anachar Basbous has participated in numerous group exhibitions in
Argentina (2000), Morocco (2002), Turkey (2003), France (2017, 2021), Lebanon (Salon d’Automne 2004, 2007), Canada (2011), and Monaco (2022), in addition to personal exhibitions (Beirut Exhibition Centre, 2012; Dubai, 2013; Agial Gallery, 2015; Saleh Barakat Gallery, 2018).
In addition to his sculptures being exhibited in public places, such as the 2008 ten-metre bronze memorial commemorating the assassination site of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, they are kept in public and private collections, notably in Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Anachar Basbous also preserves his father’s memory in an open-air museum located in the village of Rachana.
This page –Childhood playground in Rachana
Opposite page – Michel Basbous’s work in Rachana.
Dr Gregory Buchakjian (b. 1971) is an art historian and interdisciplinary visual artist. PhD graduate at Université Paris IV Sorbonne, he is director of the School of Visual Arts at Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA).
Buchakjian’s research deals with art in Lebanon, focusing on city and history with publications such as Fouad Elkoury, Passing Time (Beirut, Kaph Books: 2017), Traversées Photographiques. Le journal du Docteur Cottard (Beirut, Arab Image Foundation: 2017) and Seta Manoukian, Painting in Levitation (Beirut, Kaph Books + Saradar Collection: 2018).
His exploration of abandoned dwellings and PhD dissertation generated the exhibition Abandoned Dwellings, Display of Systems, at Sursock Museum, Beirut, 2018, curated by Karina El Helou and the book Abandoned Dwellings, A History of Beirut (Beirut, Kaph Books: 2018, Valerie Cachard, ed.). Also in 2018, his Fragments from the Ridge Line were shown at the Lebanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
I can only imagine how special these people’s childhoods were, being raised by these parents with their colourful personas and highly influential personalities.
The first memory I have of Anachar is seeing him in a childhood photo. As a teenager, when my interest in art began to grow, I bought a book on Michel Basbous. It was a very beautiful book by his wife published a few years after his death. One of the many photos in the book was a family picture with Anachar, who appeared to be a very cute child, with a bashful smile. I thought to myself how lucky this boy was to grow up in such a beautiful place, and to have such special parents, as besides his father, Michel, his mother was an accomplished poet. I was fascinated by these people. During that period, there were a lot of artists that we continue to talk about nowadays, but none of them had star status as much as the Basbous family did.
Anachar grew up in this marvellous village as an only child, surrounded by these artists, the art space and all these artistic
works. I discovered his existence as a sculptor in the 1990s, when I was a student and a young practitioner getting ready to start teaching at the University of ALBA. That was the period when people began talking about Anachar Basbous the artist, based on the large and spectacular work he was doing in public spaces.
It is interesting how fast he was able to make a name for himself after the years of war, because as well as his father’s renown there was also that of his uncles, collectively known to most people as the Basbous brothers. It is an undeniable achievement for Anachar to make a name for himself and to become someone separate from his father, because probably the greatest challenge in being both an artist and the child of an artist is growing up in the shadow of the parent. It must be exhausting. I know someone who had to remove his parent’s paintings to be able to live in his apartment, because the presence of the parent artist was so oppressive.
Anachar had the advantage of living in a very spacious village workshop. Although I am not familiar with his current space, I
AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE OF WORKING IN THE ART FIELD IN LEBANON, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF MEETING MANY SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF ARTISTS. IT’S INTERESTING THAT SOME OF THEM BECAME ARTISTS LIKE ANACHAR BASBOUS AND HALA SCHOUKAIR, WHILE OTHERS BECAME MANAGERS, LIKE CHRISTINE ABBOUD AND HALA EL RAYESS, AS WE KNOW A BIG PART OF WORKING IN THE ARTS CONSISTS OF MANAGING THE FAMILY ESTATE.DR GREGORY BUCHAKJIAN
I CAN SEE A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE WORKS OF FATHER AND SON, BUT THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT. WE CANNOT IGNORE THE BIG TIME GAP BETWEEN THEM: HIS FATHER’S WORK PRECEDED ANACHAR’S BY 50 TO 70 YEARS.
can imagine that it is gorgeous, as he has a lot of taste. He also has great kindness and generosity. When his father’s exhibition by Saleh Barakat took place at the Beirut Exhibition Centre, I wrote the accompanying article and catalogue. I was one of two writers on the team and there was a very beautiful atmosphere in the group. We did a few sessions where we worked on site, and it was splendid to spend a day in this magical place. Anachar invited us for lunch, most of the time with his wife and daughter. These were always extremely enjoyable, delicious meals in this beautiful house, filled with works of art, a lot of which were from his father. Working with him was a pleasure because he is someone very sociable, who gives back and who is understanding.
I have to add that as much as it was a pleasure, it was also very difficult at the start, because in sculpting there is this technical aspect that I wasn’t familiar with. I learned everything from Anachar who used to tell me about materials and how to treat them. And at the same time, Anachar would tell me about how certain works of his were done. I found it beautiful how this man’s words were always precise and measured. This is reflected in his works, where you always see balance and you notice the work that is done to suspend objects properly, to find the right proportions, balance and setup that works.
I can see a conversation between the works of father and son, but they are very different. We cannot ignore the big time gap between them: his father’s work preceded Anachar’s by 50 to 70 years.
What is also interesting is that Anachar’s first works had nothing to do with his father, as if Anachar was living somewhere else completely. It is what he did later on that is more interesting. In the exhibition for Saleh Barakat, a few years ago, there were a few sculptures that really touched me, and I think they were some of his strongest works to date. There is this sculpture in particular that I really admire: it resembles an eye, or more of a sun, and I find it less smooth than his other works of art. There is this rugged side to it that might be in conversation with his father. But this doesn’t really matter, because when I look at it, I am more interested in the level of maturity he reached.
ANACHAR WOULD TELL ME ABOUT HOW CERTAIN WORKS OF HIS WERE DONE. I FOUND IT BEAUTIFUL HOW THIS MAN’S WORDS WERE ALWAYS PRECISE AND MEASURED.
Randa Armanazi has 42 years working experience in communications, advertising, marketing and public relations in London, Paris, Lebanon and the Middle East.
During her career, she developed permanent and temporary cultural, artistic, leisure and entertainment projects and activities to re-position the Beirut Central District nationally, regionally and internationally, as the regional cultural and artistic capital. She has also developed marketing strategies, promotions, communication, public relations, branding and advertising, for real estate development projects in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.
In 2017, she founded the NGO Lebanese Cultural Festivals Association to promote Lebanese artists, musicians, designers and talents, in Lebanon, regionally and internationally, and in 2020 she founded the Beyond Your Limits Events company in Dubai to promote Lebanese talents in the fields of art, design, music and entertainment regionally and internationally.
One of my roles at Solidere was to create destinations for art, culture, heritage, children and family in the BCD. Since 1991, I helped develop permanent projects there, like the Beirut Central District Information Centre, the Children’s Science Museum, the Saifi Art District, the Beirut Exhibition Centre, the SV Gallery in Saifi Village, to name a few, as well as annual projects like the Dome City Centre Art Exhibitions, the Flea Market (Souk El Barghout), the International Music Festival (Fête de la Musique), and International Jazz Day, along with a number of music festivals and concerts, sports projects like Hoops and Beirut By Bike, and designer and art exhibitions. In addition to these, I made it my goal to discover and promote young artists and exhibit them in different locations and art destinations in downtown Beirut.
On a private visit to Rachana in March 2012, I passed by the Basbous family home to visit the recently developed Michel Basbous Museum and to meet Anachar Basbous, who introduced me to his recent artworks and sculptures. I immediately fell in love with these wonderful works of art.
The modern, geometric, metal shapes of Anachar’s works were placed alongside his late father Michel’s beautiful stone sculptures, side by side in the gardens of the Basbous family home. There was an abundance of gigantic sculptures. Each piece, however, was a statement in its own right and needed more space to be seen and appreciated for the message it wanted to relay. I turned to Anachar’s amazingly poetic mother, may she rest in peace, and told her that her son had his father’s amazing skills and his mother’s invaluable imagination, Anachar represented the new generation and the continuation of the Basbous family of sculptors. I then turned to Anachar and told him in these exact words: “Pack up your sculptures and follow me to the Beirut Central District, I have the best place for you to exhibit your works and to introduce your unique identity to the public, away from the cocoon and shadow of your father’s works.”
We set up a meeting the following week in downtown Beirut and I took Anachar straight to the newly developed, awardwinning Zeytouneh Square, next to Starco Building, where the landscape architects
FOR ME, RACHANA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DESTINATION AND AN INSPIRATION TO DEVELOP PUBLIC ART PROJECTS FOR THE BEIRUT CENTRAL DISTRICT (BCD).RANDA ARMANAZI Opposite page – “Shattered Sun” Beirut Exhibition Centre – Solidere Downtown Beirut 2012
had chosen grey and white stone with beautiful ponds, waterways and greenery, providing a contrast to Anachar’s oxydised sculptures and where the streetscape’s colours would be reflected in his shiny metal pieces.
We set the date for Anachar’s first solo public outdoor exhibition to open on May 24, 2012, and scheduled it to last for two months to allow visitors, collectors, gallerists, media and art lovers to come and discover the artist. Zeytouneh Square was complemented by Anachar’s amazing works, and the exhibition was a great success, receiving tremendous feedback and media coverage. Thus, Anachar Basbous, the sculptor, was publicly born.
Part of my role was to acquire works for the public domain, and Solidere was very honoured to acquire two works from Anachar that, to this day, stand in the same location in Zeytouneh Square: one featuring round shapes that overlooks the pond and the other, featuring triangular
shapes, on the upper side of a waterway. Both have been, since May 2012, a witness of times, both good and bad, but most of all have evoked eternal beauty.
Since that time, I am very pleased to have contributed to the making of Anachar Basbous, and to see the well-established international artist he has become. Anachar Basbous, you have my devoted and continuous support forever. You are truly an amazing sculptor.
“ Shattered Sun “ exhibition Installation, 2012 “Shattered Sun” Beirut Exhibition Centre - Solidere Downtown Beirut 2012, OpeningThis page – above – Floating Sculpture Resin, 2012
70 x 270 x 60 cm
Below – Solid Steel Diameter 2m, 2011
Opposite page – Copper 62 x 45 cm, 2012
Saleh Barakat is a Beirutbased gallerist who specialises in modern and contemporary art from the Arab world. He founded Agial Art Gallery (1991) and Saleh Barakat Gallery (2016) where he hosts an extensive programme of exhibitions and events. He has also curated exhibitions elsewhere, including The Road to Peace (2009) at the Beirut Art Centre, retrospectives of Saloua Raouda Choucair (2013), Michel Basbous (2014) and Jean Boghossian (2015) at the Beirut Exhibition Centre, and he co-curated the first national pavilion for Lebanon at the 52nd Venice Biennale, as well as the itinerant exhibition Mediterranean Crossroads, in collaboration with Martina Corgnati and the Italian ministry of foreign affairs and Shafic Abboud (2013). He has lectured at Princeton University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum and Christie’s Education in Dubai, and he currently lectures at ALBA and USJ in Beirut. He served on the steering committee of the Arts Centre at the American University of Beirut, and on the founding committee of the Saradar Collection. He has been a board member of the National UNESCO since 2015 and currently serves on the advisory board of the School of Architecture and Design at the Lebanese American University. In 2006, he was nominated as a Yale World Fellow.
Image from Anachar Basbous’s exhibition at Saleh Barakat Gallery, 2018.
I MET ANACHAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RACHANA IN 1990, DURING A COMPREHENSIVE TOUR OF LEBANESE ARTISTS TO INTRODUCE MY PROJECT OF OPENING AN ART GALLERY. THAT GALLERY WOULD EVENTUALLY BE NAMED AGIAL, WHICH MEANS “GENERATIONS” IN ARABIC, BECAUSE THE PROGRAMME INTENDED TO COVER SEVERAL GENERATIONS OF ARAB ARTISTS, FROM THE EARLY PIONEERS TO NEWLY EMERGING ONES.
As Michel Basbous was one of the forefathers of Lebanese modernity, visiting his wife, Thérèse Aouad Basbous, the custodian of the estate, was inevitable. Back then, Anachar was a shy young man studying decorative arts, and dreaming of creating mosaics. My visit developed into a mutual appreciation with Thérèse Aouad Basbous, a grand lady who consciously sacrificed her own career, first for the love of her husband, then later for her son. From that time my visits to Rachana became a regular pilgrimage. One day in the mid-1990s, Anachar came to Agial to proudly announce his debut as an artist with an interest in public spaces, through the installation of two large mosaics on the facade of Al Mabani building on Abdel Aziz Street. Later, he was commissioned to create a large mural for a major restaurant in downtown Beirut.
Although Anachar showed an interest in sculpture, with a father as famous as Michel it was challenging to determine his own style. In addition, he was taking on the responsibility of the estate, trying to keep the memory of his father alive.
During a heartfelt conversation one day, I bluntly told him that he could not develop his own career while taking care of his father’s estate because of the conflict of interest. We ended up agreeing that we would work together on organising a retrospective for Michel Basbous, but on one condition: that afterwards he would
devote himself fully to his own career as a sculptor. This conversation culminated in a major retrospective for Michel in 2014 at the now defunct Beirut Exhibition Centre.
I humbly believe it was one of the best shows to have taken place at this venue in terms of curation and staging. Relieved of the homage to be paid to the father, Anachar worked with impressive perseverance on developing his own style, distancing himself from the stigmatising mark of the Basbous brothers. His major solo show at Saleh Barakat Gallery in 2018 was indelible proof that a new star was born. Soon after, it became clear to us that public sculptures need space, and the decision to build an atelier and a sculpture park to showcase the voluminous artworks imposed itself as evidence.
Anachar bought a piece of land just down the road from the family estate, on which he conceived a project.
However, as soon as he started working, he discovered that the land had been a former “rejmeh”, a form of historical graveyard of stones piled up by peasants while
clearing their agricultural land. Instead of removing the stones, Anachar made some changes to his original plan and took the mesmerising decision to “carve” them in his own way, paving the way for his first masterpiece of land art, probably his largest complete oeuvre.
In the middle of economic collapse and state failure, the opening of MAB, the acronym of “Mohtaraf Anachar Basbous” (Atelier Anachar Basbous), represents the epitome of the wonders
that a truly passionate artist is capable of making against all odds. It makes us all very proud of what one person singlehandedly can give to his country, just like his father before him, transforming Rachana into a hub of beauty and creation. I feel particularly blessed to have witnessed the blossoming of this shy young adolescent, whom I first met 32 years ago, into an accomplished master sculptor who will undoubtedly leave his mark on the sculpture scene for many generations to come.
“ONE DAY IN THE MID-1990S, ANACHAR CAME TO AGIAL TO PROUDLY ANNOUNCE HIS DEBUT AS AN ARTIST WITH AN INTEREST IN PUBLIC SPACES, THROUGH THE INSTALLATION OF TWO LARGE MOSAICS ON THE FACADE OF AL MABANI BUILDING ON ABDEL AZIZ STREET. “Anachar Basbous, 2018. Concrete, 56 x 45 x 38 cm.
Anachar Basbous’s exhibition
Saleh Barakat Gallery, 2018.
Anachar.tel un satellite tournant autour de son orbite….décryptant Astres et Planètes…
Un univers de lumière se projetant sur la matière……
Ses carrières de pierre sont inépuisables…pierres que sa main polit jusqu’à l’extrême graine de leur nature.
Son terrain scintille d’acier et de fer rouillé de réelle texture…
Le bois s’habille de voluptueuses teintes rares et précieuses…
Le béton ….même le béton acquiert ses lettres de noblesse entre ses mains de magicien…
Le Basalt redécouvre son magnétisme ferrugineux ne reniant jamais ses origines Volcaniques….
Le soleil se mire dans son marbre à la peau si douce…si éclatante de blancheur…
Anachar se renouvelle avec chaque matière qu’il touche et ennoblit…
Son inspiration jaillit d’une source mystérieuse intarissable…
Ludiques sont ses sculptures …témoin de son bonheur au travail…
Ses sculptures s’amusent entre elles à decliner leur nature et leur identité….
Thérese Aouad Basbous Rachana, 16 octobre 2015
