Je suis inculte ! Exhibition at Sursock Museum Revisits Salon d'Automne Legacy

The Sursock Museum in Beirut is currently hosting an exhibition titled "Je suis inculte!" to celebrate its 60th anniversary, which took place in 2021. This exhibit explores the influence of the Salon d'Automne, which began in 1961 alongside the museum's launch, when Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock's home became Beirut's first public modern and contemporary art museum. The salon significantly contributed to forming a national artistic identity, supporting new artists, and reflecting cultural shifts, particularly during the Lebanese Civil War. By highlighting themes of dissent in the museum's history, the exhibit challenges the idea of a continuous prewar success followed by war-related decline and postwar recovery. Inspired by Jalal Khoury's 1964 work, it features surrealist art by Georges D. Corm and showcases contributions from several artists linked to the museum, some of whom received rejection letters. Curators Natasha Gasparian and Ziad Kiblawi worked alongside Jacques Aboukhaled and Mind the gap on the design.