Joseph Harb

Joseph Harb was born in Lebanon in 1964. He studied first at the Lebanese University, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and, in 1996, was awarded a scholarship from the Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA) and the French Cultural Centre, Beirut, following which he travelled to France to attend a sculpture initiative in Cergy, to the north-west of Paris. 

Harb is known for creating abstract, mixed media works on canvas in which he layers images of seemingly unrelated objects, both figurative and otherwise, on top of each other, adopting techniques rooted in collage to do so. 

Pushing traditional artistic boundaries and yet recalling the practices of the painters of the 19th century, his art invites audiences to ponder on the way image, form and composition relate to one another and coexist. 

Recollections and fleeting moments are captured or recaptured, dotted between blocks, formed from lines and colour that while catching the eye, have seemingly yet to realise their potential. A mix of fascinating contrasts and comparisons, his work suggests speed yet thought, insight, yet obfuscation and realism, yet opaqueness.

Joseph Harb is a member of The Salon d’Automne at the Sursock Museum in Beirut. His work has been exhibited there and elsewhere extensively, in Lebanon, including at Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut, where it is on permanent show, and also abroad, including in the United States, where he lived and worked for several years.

Recent highlights include a powerful mixed media exhibition in 2022 titled ‘Here and Now’: Memento Mori, at Galerie Janine Rubeiz, described by fellow Lebanese artist Hanibal Srouji accordingly: “The ‘parts’ are raw. The expression is direct and brutal. The treatment is callous, straightforward and experimental.” Created against the backdrop of one crisis after another in Lebanon, including the collapse of the economy and the explosion at the Beirut Port on August 4, 2020, the exhibition has defragmentation, anguish and unanswered questions at its heart, with the brutal treatment of its pieces reflective and symbolic. Amongst the paintings, drawings and sculptures, standout pieces included white plaster and red clay figures, drawing on the artist himself and people he knows, seemingly in limbo – a  state that is accentuated by their lack of expression. The exhibition also included works representing body parts – distorted and shocking, including elements placed in glass jars. A selection of paintings, in contrast, evoked a more meditative state of being, while others pointed to rage and aggression, reminding us that the ‘whole’ is made up of myriad parts that are often pitted against each other.

Harb’s other solo shows at Galerie Janine Rubeiz include: ‘Under Construction’ (2014); ‘Clin d’Oeil’(2014); To Look Behind’ (2010); and ‘Pinceaux pour Plumes’ (2006).

Group shows, collectives and other events include: ‘Art 14’, London (2014); ‘Abu-Dhabi Art/Art Dubai’ (2011-2013); Beirut Art Fair (2013); ‘Convergence: New Art from Lebanon’, Katzen Art Center, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington DC (2010); ‘Lebanon: The Artist’s View II’, London (2004); and Europ’Art – Genève and Art Paris – Carrousel du Louvre.

Joseph Harb also taught drawing at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Balamand University and ALBA. Today, he resides and works in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a member of the Lebanese Artists Association – Painters and Sculptors.