André Arabi

Artist and university teacher, French artist of Lebanese origins, Born in 1941 in Damascus.

Solo Exhibitions :
- 2017-2018: A retrospective exhibition on the occasion of 10 years of collaboration with
- Ayyam gallery - Beirut
- 2017: The inhabitant and the inhabited- Frédéric Moisan Gallery- Paris.
- 2015 - 2016 : Return to Abstraction - Ayyam Gallery - Dubai.
- 2013 : Om Kalthoum and the Ascension - Ayyam Gallery - Jeddah.
- 2011 : Om Kalthoum’s Passions - Ayyam Gallery - Dubai.
- 2010 : The Ecstasy of Om Kalthoum - Ayyam Gallery - Cairo.
- 2009 : Tribute to Béjart - the International Dancer - Ayyam Gallery -Beirut.
- 2007 : ‘’Chamiyat ‘’ Ayyam Gallery - Damascus.
- 2006 : Artistic Constellation - Europia Gallery - Paris.
- 2006 : Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer – France.
- 2006 : Kalimat Gallery - Aleppo.
- 2006 : Two solo exhibitions - ARABI: Painting - YAZAGI: Sculpture - were exhibited simultaneously in three galleries – ‘’ French Cultural Centre - Ashtar Gallery and Mustafa Gallery ‘’ - Damascus.
- 2003 : Guest of Honor of the International Biennial - Cairo.
- 2003 : Sirkof Gallery – Brest - France.
- 2003 : Drawings to ‘’Kitab fi Jarida‘’: Tribute to the poet Al-Maghout, UNESCO headquarters - Ministry of Culture – France.
- 2003 : Al-Wardani Hall - Kuwait Museum.
- 2003 : Charq-Gharb Foundation, Linden - Germany (eight solo exhibitions).
- 2002 : French Cultural Center of Damascus.
- 2002 : Le Choiseul Gallery – Amboise - France.
- 2001 : Al Alamia Gallery – Jeddah - Saudi Arabia.
- 1999 : Atassi Gallery - Damascus.
- 1998 : Bahrain National Museum - Manama - Bahrain.
- 1997 : Maraya Gallery - Beirut.
- 1997 : UNESCO – Paris - France (Lebanese Delegation to the UNESCO).
- 1996 : ‘’la Méditerranée Gallery‘’ – Corsica - France.
- 1994-1995 : Al Sayed Gallery - Damascus.
- 1993 : 50 x 70 Gallery - Beirut.
- 1990 - 91 – 92 : Jean Gallery - Paris.
- 1988 : Museum of l’Institut du Monde Arabe - Paris.
- 1983 : Forum in Dis Art Gallery - Rome.
- 1974 : Urnina Gallery - Damascus.
- 1972 : One Gallery - Beirut.
- 1966-1975: Professor at the University of Damascus, Faculty of Fine Arts

Selected Group Exhibitions :
- 2016 : Several selected artists (devoted to each of them a personal exhibition), Dubai, UAE.
- 2012 : ‘’La découverte du corps‘’ - Institut du Monde Arabe (The Museum of Modern Art) – Paris.
- 2011 : Selections from the Samawi Collection - Ayyam Gallery - Dubai.
- 2010 : Beirut Summer Show - Ayyam Gallery – Beirut - Lebanon.
- 2009 : Auction group show at Christie’s, and subsequent triple successful sales - Dubai.
- 2008 : Black vs Colour, Ayyam Gallery - Dubai.
- 2006 : Plastic Expressions - Europia Gallery - Paris.
- 2005 : 23rd Alexandria Biennale - Cairo.
- 2005 : Opening exhibition of the Royal Jordanian Museum - (Acquisition of a large format painting) – Amman .
- 2004 : Cairo International Biennial - Cairo.
- 2003 : Contemporary Art Fair (eight solo exhibitions) – Brest - France (Curator: Mrs. Bénédicte Gheerbrant).
- 2003 : Netherlands Contemporary Arts Festival - Netherlands.
- 2002 : Al-Fan Association Art Festival, (three artistes) - César Gallery – Amboise - France.
- 2001 : Arabic Studios - Agial Gallery – Beirut - Lebanon ; Atassi Gallery - Damascus.
- 2000 : “Espace Belleville” - Paris.
- 1998 : Arabesque Gallery – Heidelberg - Germany.
- 1997-98 : Salon Réalités Nouvelles at the Grand Palais - Paris.
- 1996 : Contemporary Arts Trophy - Paris.
- 1995 : A.M. Museum, (Six Artistes) – Königslutter - Germany.
- 1994 : The Amman Museum of Contemporary Art – (Arab Artists from Paris).
- 1993 : Abstraction - Artforum Gallery - (Five personal exhibitions), Vienna.
- 1993 : Courbevoie Biennial - Paris.
- 1992 : Cairo International Biennial - Cairo.
- 1991 : ‘’Gallerie du Cloître‘’, Chartres, France.
- 1991-Continuing: Inclusion to the permanent contemporary art exhibition of the “I.M.A Museum” - Paris.
- 1991 : Art Olympics: 50 Internationally Recognized Artists – Barcelona - Spain (accompanied by a lithograph-offset publication, 110cm x 75cm).
- 1991 : ‘’Les routes de l’écriture‘’ - UNESCO headquarters - Paris.
- 1991 : ‘’Festival de la grande Arche‘’ - Paris la Défense.
- 1991 : May Fair at the Grand Palais - Paris.
- 1990 : Contemporary Art in Europe - Lons (Jura) - France.
- 1990 : ‘’Galerie Jean‘’ - Paris.
- 1989 : ‘’Peinture comme ça‘’ Art Fair – Lisieux - France.
- 1989 : ‘’L’art à l’école‘’ - Ministry of Youth and Sports – Paris - France (travelling exhibition).
- 1988 : Mediterranean Contemporary Art - Institut du Monde Arabe - Paris.
- 1988 : World Olympics of Arts – Museum of Seoul, South Korea.
- 1988 : Brive October Art Fair – Brive- France.
- 1986 : Arab Contemporary Art, The Mall Gallery - London.

- 1986 : ‘’Salon Comparaisons‘’ at the Grand Palais - Paris.
- 1984 : ‘’Ecriture‘’ at Fares Gallery - Paris.
- 1978 : UNESCO headquarters - Paris.
- 1978 : ‘’Rencontre international d’art contemporain‘’ at the Grand Palais - Paris.
- 1976 : Kuwait Museum.
- 1975 : Sao Paolo Biennial - Brazil.
- 1974 : ‘’Galerie Contemporain‘’ - Beirut.
- 1973 : Alexandria Biennial – Alexandria - Egypt.
- 1971 : One Gallery - Beirut.

Collections :
- Institut du Monde Arabe - Paris.
- Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art – Spain.
- National Museum - New Delhi - India.
- National Museum of Korea – Seoul.
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art - Los Angeles – California - USA.
- Ministry of Culture - Cairo.
- Sh. Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani Art Collection, Arab Museum of Modern Art- Doha - Qatar.
- Sh. Rashid Al-Khalifa Art Collection - Bahrain – Al-Mananma.
- Torann France Collection - Paris.
- Al Mansouria Collection – Jeddah - Saudi Arabia.
- Fondation Maeght - Paris.
- Dunkerque Museum, Dunkerque - France.
- Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts - Amman.
- National Museum of Damascus .
- Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development - Kuwait.
- Ministry of Culture - Abu Dhabi.
- Christie’s - Dubai.
- BARJAL Art Foundation – Sharjah - UAE.
- As well as several private international art collections.

Academic Biography :
Faculty member, professor and lecturer in various universities and fine art education institutions, including but not limited to The University of Damascus (Faculty of Fine Arts, The Fine Arts University of Casablanca, Morocco, U.E. University, Aleppo, Syria.

Diplomas:
- 1966 : Bachelors in Fine Arts (painting) from The University of Damascus – final grade: 100/100. Following this result, I secured a yearly renewable contract as a faculty head of artistic workshops, until the year 1975 when I permanently moved to Paris, France, and subsequently obtained the French nationality.

- 1983 : Graduate of the Fine Arts University of Higher Education (painting, under Jacques Nalard), Paris.
- 1987 : PhD in Aesthetics and Art Sciences, University Paris I, La Sorbonne, Paris.

Publications in French and Arabic:
- 2010: ‘’The Shock of Modernity in The Arab Contemporary Art’’ - (Ed:Dar Nenaw), Damascus and Beirut the text of the book of the Bahraini artist Sheikh Rashid Al-Khalifa(Ed:Dar Nenawa 2010).
- 2008: Painting degree in half a century – Monograph (Translated into French) - Ed: Ayyam Galery – Dubai.
- 1999: Faces of modernity in Arab Painting Ed: (publications of the Department of Culture and Information) – Sharjah.
- 1997: The Photographer in The Critic’s Mirror (Sharjah Biennale), the outcome of receiving the grand prize in art criticism.
- 1978 : ‘’ Vasarely et L’art de l’arabesque ‘’ – Ed: (La Sorbonne - CREAM )
- Image and photography in the Arab contemporary art.


Activities of aesthetic research:
- Several studies published in specialized journals in both French and Arabic, (often translated into English).
- Number of lectures, seminars, international conferences, especially with ARCECA Foundation – Istanbul, Biennale of Cairo and Sharjah, As well as personal invitations in Doha, Manama and Jeddah, the University of London, the International University in Aleppo and Damascus, University of Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tehran, the Aix-en-Provence, Casablanca, Al Hoceima, Tetouan, Muscat and Asilah, the Institut du Monde Arabe, both at its headquarters in Paris or in some foreign presentations such as "Signal and Writing" in Poitiers Museum in 1994.
- Contribute in the two languages to well-known and specialized periodicals, such as Ancrage and Art Image and contemporary Plastic Art section in the Al-Hayat Newspaper and others.
- Membership of the Research Center ("CREAM" University of Paris I – La Sorbonne), for two years - Paris.
- Contribution to the opening Lectures of the Library of Alexandria - Egypt.
- Participation in the committees of international arbitration committees, such as Cairo and Sharjah Biennale Conferences and the Annual Exposition in Bahrain and Tetuan Faculty of Arts and participation in related seminars.
- 2012: Esthetic study in a book issued in association with the exhibition ‘’La découverte du corps ‘’ – I.M.A.
- 2006: the opening of the Museum Lecture "Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac" ceremony - Paris (along with two experts).
- 2005: A lecture at the Tehran Museum about the relationship between filming Behzad with local musical culture and similar aspects at the universities of Tabriz and Isfahan.
- 1996: Lecture and contribution to the book "The alienation of Roses", on the occasion of the death of the poet Biland Al-Haydari - supervision of the poet and critic Issa Makhlouf - "Ocean Society" at Asilah in - Morocco.
- 1992: Chairman of the arbitrators in the festival " les arts sur la page " - Tripp, Versailles - France.

- 1989: Participation in the International Symposium (UNESCO) about Knowledge of the "Silk Road through dialogue."
- 1989: series of lectures in Esthetics and Art, Institute of Fine Arts, Casablanca - Morocco.
- 1988: A lecture at the University of London on Audiovisual communication in Photography.
- 1988: Contribution to the educational "drawing and story" Exhibition at the I.M.A- Paris.
- 1988 - 1989: Contribution to the International Mediterranean Conference (Esthetics) - University of Al Hoceima - Morocco.
- 1988: Various lectures on Esthetics- the French Cultural Center - Tripoli - Libya.
- 1987: Contribution to the conference organized by the University of Paris VII - Sorbonne with I.M.A about ‘’Esthetic Mediterranean Space’’.
- 1987: Several lectures on Esthetics - Tunis University - Department of Philosophy. And several lectures on (Comparative Esthetics Science) by using Etienne Souriau Method applied at several art institutes: in Manama, Doha, Muscat.
- Since 1981: cooperation in the field of studies and editing of several French and Arabic periodicals of example:
‘’Mghreb-Machreq‘’, ‘’Africasi‘’, ‘’Ancrages‘’, ‘’Art-Image‘’, in Paris and then ‘’Mawaqéf‘’ and ‘’Al-Hayat newspaper’’: London, ‘’Al-Safir ‘’ : Beirut, ‘’ Al-Wihda ‘’ : Rabat, ‘’Arabie‘’: Kuwait, ‘’la revue des arts‘’ : Kuwait, ‘’Al-Bahrain Al-Thaqafya‘’ : Bahrain, ‘’Arabie‘’: Paris, and then ‘’Radio Orient‘’ : Paris.

Documentary References:
- 1993-1994: French culture channel – (TV5) - a documentary film (duration: One hour), "the East on the Seine."
- 1990: A Thesis in the history of Art from the University of Paris III – La Sorbonne: "musical Engineering and Spirituality in the Photography of Andre Asaad Arabi,"By the researcher Dr. Saliha Almnfelot.
- 1989: Retrospective Films: French – Moroccan Television and its counterpart in the Lebanese and Syrian Television.
- 1988: The film about the personal exhibition at I.M.A – France 3 Channel.
- Since 1975: Critical Studies and articles published in French and in Arabic in cultural and specialized journals or as introductions to catalogues of personal Exhibitions.

Most of the References are embodied in the final chapter of the monograph ("Painting Certificate" in the year 2008) earlier mentioned, as well as in the Proceedings of ARCECA conferences in Arabic and in English and the corresponding seminars proceedings of International Cairo Biennale and other events.