Paul Guiragossian

Born in Jerusalem, Paul Guiragossian became pivotal in Lebanon's modern art scene after settling in Beirut. Initially self-taught and later trained, he captured his community's essence through early portraits. Gaining recognition in the 1950s, awards enabled him to study in Florence and Paris. His work, spanning figuration and abstraction, distinctively used vertical brushstrokes to abstract and elongate human forms, especially mother and child themes, recalling Byzantine and Christian icons. During the 1960s, he produced completely abstract paintings, applying colour in blocks and leaving parts untouched to generate depth and movement through negative space. Exhibiting extensively worldwide, Guiragossian received numerous accolades, including a show at Paris's Institut du Monde Arabe. He won several prizes, including notably the French Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1984. His art remains in global collections, cementing his status as one of the region's most celebrated artists.