Amine El Bacha

Amine El Bacha (1932 - 2019) was born in Beirut. He studied at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, under the supervision of César Gemayel, Jean-Paul Khoury, and Fernando Manetti, before moving to Paris, where he continued his studies at the ‘Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts’ and ‘La Grande Chaumière’, with Henri Goetz, having gained a scholarship from the French Embassy.

El Bacha was awarded several prizes in his career, including, early on, the ‘Prix de l’Ambassade de France’ in 1959. In the same year, he took part in the Paris Biennale, alongside other shows, with several other exhibitions following, including the Alexandria Biennale (1962) and a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 1964, which was key in raising his profile. During his time in Paris, he garnered his hallmark expressionist style, encompassing rural landscapes that often recall his Lebanese roots, city skylines, and figurative work. His work is notable for its breathtaking ability to create emotions through a carefully considered choice of colour.

El Bacha was a multi-talented artist who worked in various media. A love for literature led to collaborations with poets and authors, including the French writer Alain Jouffroy and the Lebanese poet Nadia Tueni, for whom he provided illustrations. He co-won the ‘Prix Cittaeterna’ (Rome, 1976) and, three years later, won an international competition to create a mosaic of the San Martino church in Milan. El Bacha’s work has been exhibited extensively and is found in collections worldwide.