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Dalloul Art Foundation
ALFRED BASBOUS ALFRED BASBOUS

ALFRED BASBOUS, Lebanon (1924 - 2006)

Bio

Written by Nathalie Bsat Renowned sculptor Alfred Basbous was born in the village of Rachana in 1924, the middle of three children. He grew up in a creative environment; his father, a priest,...

Written by Nathalie Bsat

Renowned sculptor Alfred Basbous was born in the village of Rachana in 1924, the middle of three children. He grew up in a creative environment; his father, a priest, illustrated Biblical manuscripts with quill and ink, and both of his brothers, Michel and Joseph, ultimately became sculptors as well. As a teenager, he worked as an assistant to his older brother, Michel, who taught him the art of carving stone. At first, Basbous found a pragmatic, practical outlet for his technical skills, taking a job as a mason at a railroad company. Still, by the 1950s, the artist had decided to pursue professionally the career of sculptor. He held his first solo exhibition in 1959 at Alecco Saab Gallery in Beirut. In 1960, he was granted a scholarship from the French government to attend the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under the sculptor Rene Collamarini. Just a year after he arrived in the French capital, he exhibited his work at the International Sculpture Exhibition at Paris’s Musée Rodin.

Basbous worked almost exclusively with stone and marble, but occasionally included wood in his carving repertoire. Although he had learned to work with plaster casts and modeling clay, the artist found himself most comfortable with a hammer and chisel, rending his sculptures from a solid block of material rather than forcing the material itself to conform to his visions. For Basbous, the stone seemed to conceal secrets that the sculptor was compelled to find: he felt called upon to extract and highlight shapes and ideas from the curves and veins of the rock. He excelled in creating fluidity from solidity, using two or three pieces of stone that worked seamlessly as one, and exploiting negative space to give his sculptures an additional sense of motion and weightlessness.

The female figure was a dominant subject in Basbous’s oeuvre. Initially, his depictions of women bore strong realistic tendencies; he often sculpted from live models, carving faces directly and with precise attention to detail. In the early stages of his career, this was perhaps less of an expressive choice than a practical one, as the artist sought to demonstrate mastery of his medium to an audience that continued to value realism. However, even his most realistic sculptures of the female figure show an inclination towards abstraction, rounding, and smoothing elements of the human body into more basic organic forms. While classical sculpture places a high premium on the integrity of skeletal structure and musculature, Basbous deprioritized these elements in his work: he focused on the skin fluidity and outer silhouette of the human shape. Gradually, his sculptures became more abstract, streamlining the female outlines to its most basic elements and drawing inspiration from these fundamental curves. By the 1980s, Basbous was creating shapes at once loosely related to and highly evocative of the female body, balancing soft curves and sharp angles to both suggest anatomical structures and subvert expectations of them. These sculptures, such as Woman (1982) emblematize the central paradox of Basbous’s oeuvre; in essence, the objects are solid, dense, and heavy, pulled to earth by a low center of gravity, yet simultaneously full of motion and life.

Like many artists before him, the Greek mythology enchanted Alfred Basbous, and especially the story of ‘Leda and the Swan.’ Leda (1986), a sculpture currently in the collection of the Dalloul Art Foundation, references the myth, in which Zeus cleverly disguises himself as a swan to access the mortal world and seduce the Spartan queen, Leda. The sculpture portrays Leda kneeling, holding her calves as she leans back on her heels; she is graceful and poised, strong enough to relax though she keeps herself tall. The swan drapes across her torso, its head resting on her chest, and she regards it with tenderness. The sense of calm given by the work is indicative of Basbous’s oeuvre at large, where the figure of the woman is closely linked to the organic, tranquil forms of nature, and the idea of romantic or erotic love is intertwined with spirituality.

Alfred Basbous passed away in 2006, leaving a prolific corpus of sculpture in his wake. The artist was posthumously awarded the “Medal of the Lebanese Order of Merit in Gold” by the President of the Lebanese Republic.

Sources

Nammour, Cesar. التجريد الواقعية و بين النحت بصبوص، ألفرد. Beirut: ش.م.م النشر و ت للاستشارا الجميلة الفنون  دار 2004.

Nammour, Cesar. لبنان في النحت. Beirut: ش.م.م النشر و للاستشارات الجميلة الفنون  دار 1990.

Nammour, Cesar, and Gabriela Schaub. Resonances, 82 Lebanese artists reviewed by Helen Khal. Beirut: Fine Arts Publishing, 2011.

Abillama, Nour, Marie Tomb, Tamara Zantout, and Pia Bou Khater. Art from Lebanon. Beirut, Lebanon: Wonderful Editions, 2012.

Linda Othman,  "… "ألفريد بصبوص يتحدث للسياسة عن ليل باريس, Alsiyasa, Beirut, October 8, 2004, Issue 12892, Althakafiyah Sec.

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CV

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2022

Alfred Basbous: Modernist Pioneer, Sotheby's Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2018

Sensible Expression, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

2017

Alfred Basbous, Modernist Pioneer, Sophia Contemporary Gallery, London, UK

2016

الرمزية إلى التجريدية, Art Space Gallery, Dubai, UAE

تصوير تجريدي, Rachana, Lebanon & London, UK

2015

Nude d’Alfred Basbous, Ixsir Winery, Lebanon
The Bronze Collection, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon & Paris, France
Alfred Basbous, Modernist Pioneer, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
The Bronze Collection, Art Space Gallery, Dubai, UAE

2014

The Bronze Collection, Opera Gallery, Dubai, UAE

2013

The Bronze Collection, Monte-Carlo Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE

1998

Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, UAE

1998

Dubai Cultural Center, UAE

1996

SNA Building, Tabaris Beirut, Lebanon

1985

La Toile, Gallery, Rimal, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon

1984

Halate Sur Mer Garden, Halate, Lebanon
Elcir Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

1982

Decoline Gallery, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One Gallery, Zalka, Lebanon

1979

Damo Gallery, Antelias, Lebanon

1972

Contact Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

1970

Excelsior Hotel Garden, Beirut, Lebanon

1967

Amateur Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
Modern Institute Garden, Lebanon

1966

Phoenicia Hotel Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

1965

Excelsior Hotel Garden, Beirut, Lebanon

1963

One Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

1962

Salle du Quotidien L'Orient, Beirut, Lebanon

1959

Alecco Saab Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023

Lebanon | Untitled: Modern & Contemporary Lebanese Art, Janet Rady Fine Art, London, UK
Beirut And The Golden Sixties: A Manifesto Of Fragility, Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qata

2022

Manifesto of Fragility: Beirut and The Golden Sixties, Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art, Lyon, France

2020

A Glimpse Into The Past, Galerie Tanit, Beirut, Lebanon

2017

Two Moderns from the Middle East: Reza Derakshani and Alfred Basbous, Sotheby’s, Hong Kong
Art Brussels, Sophia Contemporary Gallery, Brussels

2015

Collective Lebanese Exhibition, Lebanese Consulate NY, USA
Arab Collective Art Exhibition, Galerie Mark Hachem, Beirut, Lebanon
Bronze Collection, Galerie Mark Hachem, Paris, France
Bronze Collection, Galerie Mark Hachem, Beirut, Lebanon

2001

L’Art Libanais, Sursock Museum, Beirut, Lebanon

1998

Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, UAE
Dubai Cultural Center, UAE
Oman Gallery, Oman

1994

A sculpture displayed at Ashmoleum Museum, Oxford, UK

1993

Shroder & Asseili Gardens, London, UK

1988

Kuwait Hilton International Hotel, Kuwait
Platform International Gallery, Washington, USA

1974

Collamarini workshop at Rodin Museum in Paris, France
Biennial of Alexandria, Egypt
UENO Museum, royal museum in the city of Tokyo, Japan

1971

Halles Gallery, Paris, France
Open air exhibitions in Faubourg of Saint Honoré, Paris, France
Souk Tawile, Beirut, Lebanon

1961

Superior National School of Fine Arts, Paris, France.
Rodin Museum, Paris, France.

Sculptures in Public Spaces

2003

Public garden of Jdeidet municipality, Metn, Lebanon

1997

Garden of Zahlé Municipality, Lebanon

1992

Espace Center, Kaslik, Lebanon

1984

Halate Sur Mer Gardens, Halate, Lebanon
Public square, Tannourine, Lebanon

1981

Maison du Futur Garden, Naccache, Lebanon
Antelias city entrance, Lebanon
Zouk Mkayel Municipality gardens, Lebanon

1977

Les Jardins du Quotidien, Le Reveil, Lebanon
Jdeidet El Metn, Lebanon
Tabarja Beach garden, Tabarja, Lebanon

1973

Beirut port, Lebanon

1971

Rayfoun roundabout, Lebanon

1962

Municipality Garden, Zahlé, Lebanon

Awards and Honors

2011

The Lebanese governemt released a national stamp of Alfred Basbous and his two brothers Michel and Youssef

2005

Awarded "Commander the order of Cedar" by the President of the Lebanese Republic, Emile Lahoud, Lebanon

1994

Awarded the "Medal of the National Order of Cedar, order of Knight" by the President of the Lebanese Republic, Elias Hraoui, Lebanon

1974

Biennale laureate of Alexandria, Egypt

1965

Honorary award at the autumn fair of Sursock Museum, Beirut, Lebanon

1964

Honorary award at the autumn fair of Sursock Museum, Beirut, Lebanon

1963

Laureate of the East award, Lebanon

1961

First award at the Superior National school of Fine Arts, Paris, France

Collections

Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MACAM), Alita, Lebanon
Collection of the Ministry of Culture, Beirut, Lebanon

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Documents
Alfred Basbous (1924-2006): Legacy of Three Brothers Turns Lebanese Village of Rachana into a Global Center of Sculpture
Nancy Linthicum
Al Jadid, English, 2005

Essay

مبدعون من بلادي
تيريز منصور
lebarmy.gov.lb, Arabic, 2006
Philosophy
Cezar Nammour
Alfred Basbous Museum, English
Oeuvres de beaute
Joseph Tarrab
French
Cent Ans d'Art Plastique Au Liban I. One Hundred Years of Plastic Arts in Lebanon I
Chahine Gallery
Chahine Gallery/ DAF Library, English, Arabic, French, 1982

Extract from book p. 57

PARC Internationale de sculpture Rachana
Zeina Basbous
Alfred Basbous, Arabic, French, 2005

Catalog

النحت في لبنان
Cezar Nammour
Fine Arts Publishing & Printing/ DAF library, Arabic, 1990

Extract from book pp. 37, 38, 41, 43, 46, 49, 52, 53, 63, 69, 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 108-113, 120-126, 185, 192

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Press
Alfred Basbous, a career balancing form and media
Behod Negahban
dailystar.com.lb, English, 2018
ألفريد بصبوص ... رحلة نحت المشاعر و الغموض و الصدق
gheir.com, Arabic, 2013
حكاية " النحاتين الثلاثة " تترجم إلى رواية فنية في طابع بريدي
alittihad.ae, Arabic, 2011
بلدة الفن "راشانا" تفقد منحوتاتها وسط صمت الخائفين
سوسن الأبطح
aawsat.com, Arabic, 2016
Alfred Basbous: An icon of modern art
inbusiness.ae, English, 2016
Why famed artist Alfred Basbous is 'sculpted in the mind of the Lebanese'
Zayna Al Saleh
The National, English, 2019
Alfred Basbous (1924-2006): Legacy of Three Brothers Turns Lebanese Village of Rachana into a Global Center of Sculpture
Nancy Linthicum
Al Jadid, English, 2005
Alfred Basbous au paradis des sculpteurs
Zena Zalzal
L'Orient Le Jour, French, 2006
Rashana The Village of Sculptures
Elizabeth Abi-Aassi
Visitor Magazine, English, 1997
Alfred Basbous: un dialogue avec l'eternite
Zeina Basbous Helou
Mondanite, French, 2005
From Rachana with Love
Maya Assaf
The Guide Lifestyle Magazine, English, 2004
ازاحة الستار عن نصب "الشرف" لألفريد بصبوص في ثكنة غانم
الديار, Arabic
ألفريد بصبوص و طريق النحت
أحمد بزون
السفير, Arabic, 2005
إعلان "راشانا" عاصمة عالمية للنحت
المستشار, Arabic, 1999
الأخوة الثلاثة نبذة عن حياتهم
الديار, Arabic, 1997
الفرد بصبوص كاهن راشانا
أحمد بزون
السفير, Arabic, 2006
الفرد بصبوص يتحدث عن ليل باريس المتصل بالنهار و عن إمرأة "لم تحتمل رسميتي و لم احتمل وقاحتها"
ليندا عثمان
السياسة, Arabic, 2004
الفرد بصبوص الفطري الموهوب المجرب لم ترهبه طرق النحت الوعرة
محمد شرف
النهار, Arabic, 2006
الفرد بصبوص: النحت حب و إيمان و قليل من.. الجنون!
مارلين خليفة
النهار, Arabic, 2000
تودعك الحجارة المنحوتة... يودعك صخر لبنان
أمية درغام
الحسناء, Arabic, 2006
راشانا حجرها تحت إزميل الألم
لور غريب
النهار, Arabic
النحات الفرد بصبوص : المعاملة صعبة جداً مع الصخر
إلهام, Arabic, 1993
النحات ألفريد بصبوص ل"البيان": أشعر أن الزمن يطاردني و لذلك لا أنام الليل
حازم سليمان
البيان, Arabic, 1998
قارئ الحجر
الدليل, Arabic, 2006
ماجدة الرومي في راشانا تأكيد لتواصل تراث القرية
الديار, Arabic, 1988
من راشانا إلى الكويت النحات الفرد بصبوص في ثلاثية الحركة و الوجه
ادونيس
Arabic
راشانا سنة 2056
هنري زغيب
النهار, Arabic, 2006
نحت البصابصة يزين ساحات جدة
كمال حيدر
Arabic
في سنة إعلان بيروت عاصمة ثقافية للعالم العربي الاونيسكو أعلنت راشانا عاصمة عالمية للنحت
نقولا طعمه
النهار, Arabic, 1999
A Rachana, Magida A Conqis Son Public
Le Reveil, French, 1988
Festival de Rachana 88: Espoirs renaissants!
Zeina Sawaya
Magazine, French, 1988
Le Quatrieme Symposium de Sculpture de Rachana
L'Orient Le Jour, French, 1997
La Lutte Des Mouvements
Hani Abi Saleh
Le Reveil, FRENCH, 1977
الختام وسام
المسيرة, ARABIC, 1994
اختتام المحترف الدولي للنحت في راشانا
النهار, ARABIC, 2002
الفرد بصبوص
مي عبود أبي عقل
kadmous.org, Arabic, 2011
Rachana: Inauguration du Musee Contemporain de la Sculpture a ciel ouvert
Nicole Malhame-Harfouche
La Revue du Liban, French, 1998
منا هراوي زارت البترون و راشانا و قلدت بصبوص وسام الأرز
الوزير اده
الأنوار, Arabic, 1992
وسام لألفرد بصبوص و مكافأت للمساهمين و ١٠ الاف دولار سنوية باسم ميشال
النهار, ARabic, 1994
محترف راشانا الدولي الثامن للنحت يختتم اليوم سيزيف و صخرته موضوع مشترك لرؤى متنوعة
لور غريب
النهار, Arabic, 2001
خمسة نحاتين اجانب في سمبوزيوم راشانا التاسع للنحت رؤى تتجاور في الصخر عناقاً أو تنافراً أو مبهمات
لور غريب
النهار, Arabic, 2002
ضجة في راشانا: متحف أم محترف؟ القرية صارت مزاراً و الفرد بصبوص ينحط المسرح و الظلام
رياض فاخوري
الأنوار, Arabic, 1994
Alfred Basbous et le monde exterieur
Victor Hakim
French, 1970
مجنون و حالم و قروي مشروعه غزو الغرب
مروان ملكون
النهار, Arabic, 1971
الفرد بصبوص حاو يحاور الصخور فتتكلم
شوكت حكيم
Arabic, 1972
النحات الفرد بصبوص صخوره تماثيل تحكي السماء
فاروق الجمال
اليوم, Arabic, 1972
معرض منحوتات الفريد بصبوص
وضاح الحلو
الأخبار, Arabic, 1972
دامو ١٩٧٩-١٩٨٠ نحت و رسم و حنى حجرية
نزيه خاطر
الأنوار, Arabic, 1979
!الفرد بصبوص في غاليري "دامو" مجنون جمال.. يخصب الحجر
ميشال معيكي
الحسناء, Arabic, 1979
!الفرد بصبوص اليوم يدحرج حجارة "راشانا" على عنق إمرأة
رياض فاخوري
الأنوار, Arabic, 1979
الفرد بصبوص الحنان القادم من الصخر
الأسبوع العربي, Arabic, 1979
حجر الفرد بصبوص يهجس يتكرر علامات إستفهام ضميرية
نزيه خاطر
النهار, Arabic, 1979
المفترق الحاسم
الأسبوع العربي, Arabic, 1979
الفرد بصبوص : حواري مع الحجر هدفه الحقيقة
برنامج من لبنان, Arabic, 1979
معرض بصبوص في انطلياس
Arabic, 1979
غيوم نحتية لالفريد بصبوص المرأة تنتظر و الجسد شكل "ميدوزي"
رياض فاخوري
Arabic, 1979
معرض الفرد بصبوص رقة الفنان و قساوة الحجر
مي منسى
النهار, Arabic, 1979
Alfred Basbous: Le langage de conscience du corps
Nohad Salameh
Le Reveil, Arabic, 1984
الفرد بصبوص في جديده٥٦ منحوتة تنتصب و تتمدد
جوزف أبي ضاهر
الأنوار, Arabic, 1985
الفرد بصبوص مؤنسن الحجر حوار مادة و لا ملموس
مي منسى
Arabic, 1985
ألفرد بصبوص يعرض في صالة "لاتوال" رمال أشكال تبحث عن فراغها و عن تكاملها في النور
Rosanna Bou Monsef
Arabic, 1985
الفرد بصبوص: حل من الفوضى تخيم على الابداع الفني في لبنان
سمير ناصيف
الحياة, Arabic, 1993
Works of Lebanese Sculptor Basbous on show in capital
Gulf News, English, 1998
حول معرض "الفن اللبناني" في متحف سرسق إغراء بصري و عبور مريح إلى تمثيل بدا ناقصاً
نزيه خاطر
النهار, Arabic, 2001
"Rachana, the Artists Forum"
agendaculturel.com, French, 2012
إفتتاح معرض "ألفريد بصبوص المجموعة البرونزية" الشهر المقبل
ra2ed.com, Arabic, 2014
المجموعة البرونزية.. منحوتات مقتبسة عن الإنسان
ديانا أيوب
emaratalyoum.com, Arabic, 2014
معرض الفرد بصبوص للمجموعة البرونزية في دار الأوبرا في دبي
layalina.com, Arabic, 2014
الفرد بصبوص يعرض ٢٠ منحوتة برونزية في دبي
alkhaleej.ae, Arabic, 2015
Alfred Basbous' art work show opens in Dubai
tradearabia.com, English, 2015
The Bronze Collection
egomagazine.ae, English, 2015
"الفرد بصبوص.. "رودان الشرق
ميريام سلامة
aljoumhouria.com, Arabic, 2015
معرض ألفريد بصبوص.. نحات المشاعر- اداب و فنون
أحمد بزون
tahawolat.net, Arabic, 2015
Alfred Basbous Exhibiting at Mark Hachem Gallery
beirut.com, English, 2015
Nude d'Alfred Basbous
agendaculturel.com, French, 2015
Alfred Basbous exposé dans les jardins d'Ixsir
agendaculturel.com, French, 2015
Londres accueille des bronzes d'Alfred Basbous
L'Orient Le Jour, French, 2016
إفتتاح معرض لأعمال النحات الراحل ألفريد بصبوص
alaraby.co.uk, Arabic, 2016
العربية البريطانية تستقبل أعمال بصبوص: "من الرمزية إلى التجريد" و قصة حب لم تنته مع رشانا! النهار
هنادي الديري
newspaper.annahar.com, Arabic, 2016
إفتتاح معرض الفرد بصبوص في لندن
alhayat.com, Arabic, 2016
إفتتاح معرض ألفريد بصبوص في لندن
alghad.tv, Arabic, 2016
تصوير تجيردي يسافر من بيروت إلى لندن
aljasraculture.com, Arabic, 2016
لندن تعيش "قصة عشق" ألفريد بصبوص
ريتا الجمال
lebanondebate.com, Arabic, 2016
منحوتات ألفريد بصبوص تسافر من بيروت إلى لندن
alarab.co.uk, Arabic, 2016
Alfred Basbous: Figurative to Abstraction- Part 2 My Art Guides
myartguides.com, English, 2016
Alfred Basbous' Art Work Show Opens in Dubai
eyeofriyadh.com, English, 2016
Figurative to Abstraction: Drawing and Works by the late Alfred Basbous
bbc.com, English, 2016
Lebanese artist Alfred Basbous' latest work curated in Dubai
Hershey Pascual
aeworld.com, English, 2016
« أعمال بصبوص الفنية في دبي « آرت سبيس
albayan.ae, Arabic, 2016
معرض لأعمال الرائد ألفريد بصبوص في دبي
emaratalyoum.com, Arabic, 2016
"افتتاح معرض للنحّات اللبناني الراحل ألفريد بصبوص في دبي"
ellearabia.com, Arabic, 2016
Two Moderns from the Middle East: Reza Derakshani and Alfred Basbous
altertuemliches.at, English, 2017
Two Moderns from the Middle East: Reza Derakshani and Alfred Basbous
zolimacitymag.com, English, 2017
Alfred Basbous and the Rise of Modernist Sculpture in Lebanon
Roxane Zand
sothebys.com, English, 2017
Reprendrons-nous illico le chemin des expositions ?
ZENA ZALZAL
lorientlejour.com, French, 2020
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