Aref El Rayess's First Major Institutional Exhibition in Sharjah

Sharjah Art Foundation and Sharjah Museums Authority have organized the first major institutional exhibition of Lebanese artist Aref El Rayess (1928–2005), presenting over five decades of his work. The show spans painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, and tapestry, highlighting his role as an Arab modernist. El Rayess's oeuvre reflects his travels between Lebanon, Senegal, Europe, and the United States, as well as political struggles like the Algerian War of Independence and the Lebanese civil war. He was also an active member of the Lebanese art community, teaching, writing, and organizing conferences. His practice incorporated abstraction and folkloric motifs inspired by West Africa. The exhibition is supported by the Aref El Rayess Foundation and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg.