Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese abstract art pioneer, dies at 101

Saloua Raouda Choucair, a trailblazing figure in abstract art from Lebanon, has sadly passed away, as announced by Sfeir-Semler Gallery on social media. Known for her unique abstract sculptures—often small totems crafted from polished wood or stone—Choucair's artistic pursuits also spanned painting, drawing, architecture, textiles, and jewelry. Her creative influences included science, mathematics, Islamic art, and poetry. Born in Beirut in 1916, she studied with Fernand Léger in Paris during the 1940s, where she grew fond of Le Corbusier's architectural style. After returning to Lebanon in the late 1950s, she received the National Council of Tourism Prize in 1963 for a public sculpture in Beirut, and in 1985, the General Union of Arab Painters honored her. Major exhibitions of her work were held at the Beirut Exhibition Center in 2011 and at Tate Modern in 2013.