Ralph Hage’s art exhibition at Beit Beirut Museum gains international acclaim

August 29, 2023

Ralph Hage unveiled his art exhibition ‘Chronicle of Three Wars’ at Beit Beirut Museum on 10 August 2023. The project generated much local and international interest and coverage. The exhibition is curated by the author Maie El-Hage.

Earlier this month, the Beit Beirut Museum was the venue for the art exhibition, ‘Chronicle of Three Wars’, featuring the works of Ralph Hage. The exhibition, curated by Maie El-Hage, offered an exploration of Lebanon’s modern and contemporary histories, marked by tragedies, catastrophes, and the persistent anticipation of war. The project has the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

The opening reception took place on 10 August 2023 at the third floor of the Beit Beirut Museum. Curators, collectors, gallerists, artists and a crowd of art-enthusiasts gathered and inaugurated the much-anticipated art exhibition. The building proper was the ideal place for this exhibition that centers on Lebanon’s tumultuous histories. The Beit Beirut building was formerly the Barakat building, a private property and residence built in 1924 by architect Youssef Aftimus for the family of Nicholas Barakat, in the neo-Ottoman style. Its ochre-colored yellow stones garnered it the nickname ‘the Yellow house’. Situated on a strategic location, it was used during the Lebanese Civil War by snipers; after the war it was to be demolished. Thanks to the campaign by architect Mona al Hallak, it was saved, and in 2003, it was expropriated. It underwent a renovation campaign in coordination with the Municipality of Paris and with the efforts of architect Youssef Haidar. Finally, in 2017 the building reopened as a Museum for the city of Beirut. Such a structure that witnessed first-hand the atrocities of war is deserving of art shows that acknowledge its history and pays tributes to the fallen.