A STAR IN HIS OWN RIGHT

BY DR BASEL DALLOUL

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 medium is metals of all sorts. I personally love his curved pieces, which I find flawless and sublime.

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.

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. 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.

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!

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

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.