Gilbert Halaby

Lebanese artist Gilbert Halaby was born in 1979 in a village in Mount Lebanon. For as long as he can remember, he loved to paint. Halaby was captivated by the beauty of the natural landscape in Mount Lebanon as a young boy. To this day, it continues to influence his art. Growing up, Halaby was also lured by the beauty of the fabrics his mother sewed; his artistic eye also fell in love with fashion, and he began designing clothes and accessories from an early age.

After studying Archaeology at the Lebanese University in Beirut, he went to Rome in 2003, where he became captivated by the Eternal City, and soon opened a jewelry and handbag store near the Pantheon. In 2010, the Maison Halaby brand launched its first women’s collection, and in 2016 he opened his much-loved accessories boutique of specially made leather handbags on Via di Monserrato 21 (Rome), akin to a cultural salon where the artist also houses many books by contemporary and historical authors and philosophers - the latter being one of his favourite subjects.

His works are created with care to every detail, using the finest of raw materials. Maison Halaby has become a top destination in Rome, attracting a loyal following of collectors spanning around the elite world and including Queen Rania of Jordan.

In 2011, Halaby was chosen as ‘Designer of the Year’ at Paris Capitale de la Création. In 2012, after his exhibition of the sculpted jewels at the Fondazione Volume! in Rome, he was nominated as one of the Vogue Talents for Vogue Italia, which resulted in his collections of accessories being exhibited at the Palazzo Morando in Milan, Italy.

Yet now Halaby’s desire has turned to his art-his first love, as he calls it, and most of his time is now spent painting at his studio a few steps away also on Via di Monserrato 123. For both his fashion and art, he shares one vision. As he says: “If one of a hundred passes by my ‘bottega’ and gets inspired by beauty, then my job is done.”

Gilbert Halaby debuted in 2023 with his solo exhibition titled “Domus Berytus”, which took place at Beit Beirut Museum in the Lebanese capital.