The past can be a traumatic subject for many Lebanese. From 1975 to 1990, a civil conflict-ravaged a major section of the country. Sectarian strife and government dysfunction have characterized the postwar period.
Despite the horrors of recent decades, Lebanon is a culturally rich country with a rich history reflected in its architectural, cultural, and anthropological legacy.
This is why the Beirut Museum of Art, or BeMA, is being hailed as a “beacon of hope” in a country beset by political paralysis, economic decline, and a worsening humanitarian crisis. It is set to open in 2026.
The new location will feature some 700 works of art from the Lebanese Ministry of Culture’s collection of over 2,000 items, most of which have been in storage for decades.
“We’ll be housing this really valuable collection,” Khalaf remarked. “We call it the national collection, and it is public property.” It is our responsibility to make it accessible for the first time. It’s something that’s never been seen before.”
The artworks, which date from the late nineteenth century to the present day and were made by more than 200 artists, tell the tale of this little Mediterranean country from its Renaissance era and independence through the civil war period and beyond.
The restoration of the collection, which includes some paintings and works on paper that have been damaged by conflict, negligence, incorrect storage, or simply the passage of time, is one of the BeMA team’s top goals in collaboration with the Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences.
Another objective for the BeMA team is gathering information about the artists and their impact on Lebanon’s creative legacy, which has proven difficult due to a lack of published resources and the means to classify them.
