Chucrallah Fattouh

Chucrallah Fattouh is a prolific, Lebanese painter who was born in the coastal town of Monsef, Byblos, in 1956 and has enjoyed longstanding success. He began painting in childhood and, aged just 12, was able to sell portraits of his mother to a passer-by, in an early sign of his talent. He went on to study at the Lebanese University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and graduated from there with Honours in 1983. 

Fattouh’s early inspiration was the sea – a key landmark of Monsef. Describing it as at the basis of his creations, he explores its nuances and elusiveness through an expansive oeuvre spanning the decades, seeking to capture its myriad, constantly shifting colours, shape and movements, and the emotions it instils. Sometimes abstract and at other times expressionist, his work also includes urban and rural landscapes of his native Lebanon and figurative work often focused on the female form.

A prolific artist, Fattouh’s work has been exhibited extensively in high-profile solo and group exhibitions in Lebanon and worldwide across the decades at renowned venues that include, most recently: Bruges, Belgium (2016); Sloane Club, London (2015); Lebanese Tourism Office and UNESCO Palace, both in Paris (2014); Sofana Dahlan Art Gallery, Jeddah (2014); Torre Branca, Milan (2014); Deco Fair, Jeddah (2013); Grand Central Art Center, California (2012); Palais Drouot, UNESCO, Paris (2011); and Milan (2011).

Following an earlier exhibition in London at the GCC Polo Cup (2006), where he created a series of paintings showing the game of polo as a bridge between East and West, Chucrallah Fattouh was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with a medal. 

In Lebanon, his work has been shown at numerous galleries, festivals and fairs, including events at Citadelle de Tripoli and Hotel Saint-Georges, Beirut, among many others, and an open-air exhibition at Byblos. Recent solo shows include an exhibition at the American University of Beirut (2014). 

Chucrallah Fattouh’s work is on permanent display at the Sursock Museum in Beirut, where it is regularly presented at the Salon d’Automne, and his personal atelier in Monsef, alongside other national institutions, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It also features in several prestigious international collections, including the renowned David Rockefeller art collection, and is the subject of an illustrated book tracing Fattouh’s artistic path, titled ‘Momentum’, designed by Samar Nashawaty. A member of the Lebanese Syndicate of Painters and Sculptors, Fattouh continues to live and work in Monsef today.