Gilbert Halaby

Gilbert Halaby (b. 1979) is a self-taught, multi-disciplinary artist and renowned designer who was born in a village in Mount Lebanon. He is known for producing a wide variety of art and written work that spans paintings, sculptures, poems and letters.

Halaby studied Archaeology at the Lebanese University in Beirut. As a child, he developed an early fascination with both fabric and fashion, inspired, especially, by his mother’s needlework and, at a young age, started designing apparel and accessories.

In 2003, Halaby travelled to Rome, where he began building on these passions by opening a jewellery and handbag store near the Pantheon. Following seven successful years, the Halaby label launched a women’s collection for the first time. This was followed, in 2016, with the opening of a boutique on Rome’s renowned Via di Monserrato, showcasing designer leather handbags and other accessories. Maison Halaby quickly carved a niche as a go-to destination for lovers of luxury items, with a loyal following that includes celebrities and royalty. The address also became known concurrently as a cultural hub and home to Halaby’s impressive book collection on topics ranging from design to philosophy. 

In an early career highlight, Halaby clinched the ‘Designer of the Year’ in 2011, at Paris Capitale de la Création. Further success followed one year later, when he was nominated as one of the Vogue Talents for Vogue Italia, after his sculpted jewels show at Rome’s Fondazione Volume! As a result, he was invited to exhibit his collections at the Palazzo Morando in Milan.

Having made these impressive achievements in the field of design, Halaby decided to shift his focus to art, which he has widely described as his first love, setting up a studio, also on Via di Monserrato, where he paints. 

Halaby’s first solo exhibition, titled ‘Domus Berytus’, took place in 2023 at Beit Beirut Museum, Lebanon. Comprising a collection of figurative paintings, the landmark show represented a celebration of Halaby’s development as an artist and arrival at a milestone juncture in his career. The exhibition was overseen by his close friend, the curator Muriel Asmar, who explained the themes explored by Halaby in the series in an interview with Artscoops.

“The show explored the importance of homeland, with the works relaying the artist’s yearning for his birthplace Lebanon, which he left 25 years ago,” she said. “It was a truly emotive selection of artworks.”

Halaby’s childhood in rural Mount Lebanon, where he spent happy hours playing in the scenic fields and woods, is clearly a key source of inspiration in his art. Topics explored in ‘Domus Berytus’ range from solitary houses and cliff tops to mountainous landscapes and majestic pine trees, brought to life in bright Mediterranean colours and sepia-style wistful shadows. Poignant poems written by the artist on related themes, meanwhile, were also featured in the show’s catalogue.

The exhibition was followed in summer 2023 with a show in Italy, titled ‘Une Comédie Romaine’, in which Halaby shifted his focus to both the usual and unusual aspects of everyday life in the city. The exhibition, held at Maja Arte Contemporanea, featured 30 hallmark abstract expressionist and figurative works in which his subjects ranged from well-known personalities based in Rome to beggars and even priests on bicycles.

In 2024, Halaby held his first show stateside with Maja Arte Contemporanea, at Casa Branca Atelier in Miami. Titled ‘Apogee of Light’, it ran concurrently with another solo project – ‘Will You Wait For Me Under That Pine Tree?’ at Artbooth Abu Dhabi, organised in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute UAE. 

Halaby is a highly collectible artist, reflected in the fact that his Rome show was a sellout. In his words: “I do what I do so that when I’m on my death bed I can look back and smile.”