Beirut and the Golden Sixties: A Manifesto of Fragility

18 March 2022

Untitled (detail; 1979), Juliana Seraphim. Courtesy: Saleh Barakat Gallery/Agial Art Gallery

The glamour of Beirut’s cosmopolitan golden era was bookended by the civil wars of 1958 and 1975–90. This expansive exhibition of 230 works and some 300 archival documents at the Gropius Bau in Berlin (25 March–12 June) teases out tensions between the capital and the surrounding regions during this fragile decade of peace, exploring how artists throughout Lebanon articulated vivid, varied and frequently conflicting visions of modernism. Find out more from the Gropius Bau’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

From the series Civil War Diary (1975–76), Jamil Molaeb.

From the series Civil War Diary (1975–76), Jamil Molaeb. Courtesy: Saleh Barakat Gallery/Agial Art Gallery

Untitled (1977–78), Aref El Rayess.

Untitled (1977–78), Aref El Rayess. Courtesy Saradar Collection

(1958), Khalil Zgaib.

Untitled (1958), Khalil Zgaib. Courtesy: Saleh Barkat Collection/Agial Art Gallery

Untitled (1979), Juliana Seraphim.

Untitled (1979), Juliana Seraphim. Courtesy: Saleh Barakat Gallery/Agial Art Gallery