Khalil Zgaib

Born in 1913 in Mount Lebanon, Khalil Zgaib was a barber by trade and a self-taught painter. He held his first exhibition in 1955 at the American University of Beirut where he caught the attention of prominent figures, such as the French archaeologist and director of the Institut français du Proche-Orient, Henri Seyrig. He went on to exhibit widely in Lebanon, participating annually in the Salons du Printemps held at the UNESCO Palace under the patronage of the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, and in the salons d’Automne at Sursock Museum. He won a prize at the former in 1956; at the latter in 1968. Zgaib held frequent exhibitions in art spaces and commercial galleries in Beirut, including Galerie Alecco Saab (1961), Gallery One (1963, 1964, 1971), Salle de L’Orient (1965), and the Delta International Art Center (1972). He also participated in several international exhibitions, including the Bienal de Sāo Paulo (1967). Zgaib was tragically killed in 1975 during the Lebanese Civil War. His work is featured in the collections of the Louvre Museum, Paris; the Sursock Museum, Beirut; the Saradar Collection, Beirut; and the Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut.