Hussein Madi

Hussein Madi (حسين ماضي; 1938 – 17 January 2024) was a Lebanese painter, sculptor, and printmaker. He studied painting, sculpture, and printing at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beirut and the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome. Between 1973 and 1986, he lived and conducted advanced research on Arabic cultural heritage and Egypt in both cities. Upon returning to Lebanon in 1986, he taught sculpture and engraving at the Institute of Fine Arts, Lebanese University, and previously from 1958 to 1962 at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts.

Madi's artworks are housed in private and public collections worldwide, including the British Museum, Institut du Monde Arabe, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, MATHAF: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah Art Museum, The Sursock Museum, MACAM (Modern and Contemporary Art Museum), and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.

He presented his work at the Venice Biennale in 2003 and received the Order of the Star from the Italian Government that same year for his outstanding contributions to the country.

Life and work
Born in 1938 in Shebaa, South Lebanon, Hussein Madi's body of work is often likened to that of modern European artists such as Matisse and Picasso, as well as the abstract designs found in Islamic art. Madi would outline the silhouette of a woman across the entire canvas using quick strokes of his large brush. His paintings frequently explore the interplay between straight and curved lines, reflecting his cultural heritage through the features of Oriental figures.

In his artworks, Madi captures two distinct expressions: one static, symbolizing permanence in the face of transience and reflecting the deep Oriental faith in immortality and eternal rest; the other a facial expression of cruel irony, akin to a mask in Greek tragedy, or conveying suffering through stiff posture, akin to a dreadful cry, resonating with the roar of an Assyrian lioness dragging along her crushed pride. This poignant imagery personifies the cry of humanity.

Italian critic Joseph Silvaggi, in his writings about Madi, describes his drawings as filled with symbols and rich in artistic conventions presented in simplified forms—a kind of enchanted script and summary of figurative art in the modern era.

Hussein Madi passed away on January 17, 2024, at the age of 85.

Awards
Throughout his lifetime, Madi garnered several prestigious awards: the Sursock Museum 5th Salon Prize for Painting (1965–66), the 8th Salon Prize for Sculpture presented by the Italian Cultural Centre in 1968/69, and the First Prize for Engraving at Citta di Lecce, Italy (1974). Additionally, he served as President of the Association of Lebanese Artists in 1982 and 1992.

Publications

 * Unexpected Trove | The Unseen Works of Hussein Madi | Rome 1964-1970 (Dongola, 2019)
 * A Boundless Life (Antoine, 2012)
 * The Art of Madi (Saqi Books, 2005)
 *  Hussein Madi (Galleria d'Arte Cavour, 1972) (Italian)