User:Elias Ziade/Jamil Molaeb

Jamil Molaeb (Born 1948, in Baissour, Lebanon) is a Lebanese painter, sculptor and printmaker. He studied at the Fine Arts Institute of the Lebanese University under renowned Lebanese artists such as Chafic Abboud and Paul Guiragossian. After a year spent in Algeria at the Fine Arts Institution, he moved to the USA in 1984 where he got a Master of Fine Arts at New York’s Pratt Institute. He then obtained a PhD in from Ohio State University. Back in Lebanon in 1989, Molaeb started teaching art at the Lebanese University and the Lebanese American University of Beirut. In 1991 and 1992, Molaeb was the secretary of the Lebanese Artists Association, Painters and Sculptors (LAAPS).

Life and Work
Jamil Molaeb’s work show a number of influences - from western art to ancient traditions from Egypt, Sumer and Babylon - resulting in oil paintings and woodcuts that range from bold colours to minimal black and white. In his woodcuts, Molaeb uses parallel techniques, temporalities and concepts, from traditional techniques, inherited from the Italian 15th century to modernist strategies that would be easily read by the expressionist and post-expressionist painters of Europe. He built his own Museum The Jamil Molaeb Museum in his hometown of Baissour Mount-Lebanon; the museum opened in August 2015.

Awards
In the 1960’s, he received the Nicolas Sursock Museum Award for sculpture. In 1967 he won the 3rd prize of sculpture at 7th Salon of the Sursock Museum and in 1995 a special distinction in Painting at the 18th salon of the Sursock Museum. Jamil Molaeb’s work has been acquired by public and private collections including The World Bank in Washington DC and has been sold in international auctions. His works were also featured in contemporary art fairs such as Europ’art (Geneva), St’art (Strasbourg), Art Paris Abu Dhabi and Art Dubai.

Publications
He has published 4 books and recently, in 2014 ”Xylographies-Woodcuts” with Galerie Janine Rubeiz.