Elie Kanaan

Elie Kanaan was a self-taught, successful, award-winning Lebanese painter who was born in Beirut. As a young man, he displayed a distinctive style of painting with oils which he was encouraged to develop by leading artists of the time, including the French painter, Georges Cyr.  

In 1957, Kanaan won First Prize in Painting at the ‘Salon du Printemps’ and, the following year, he was awarded the UNESCO Prize, which brought him a scholarship to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. 

Much about the French capital influenced his art longer term, from the ambience of Saint Germain-des-Près and Montparnasse to the crowds waiting for the metro in dusk.  

Kanaan travelled and exhibited extensively before returning to Lebanon, where he shifted to using colours that were more associated with the Mediterranean. The country’s scenery was a key source of inspiration, from its greenery and villages to its seascapes, bathed in light or captured at twilight. Kanaan brought these scenes to life in bright, energetic and deeply worked shades of contrasting reds, blues, and yellows, layered and carefully balanced to give texture and rhythm. While much of his work was abstract, real-life elements, especially figures, also featured in his paintings. 

Kanaan’s work was exhibited extensively around the world during his career from the late 1940s onwards and it has continued to feature in shows since his death.

Solo exhibitions include: ‘La Lumière Colorée’, Villa Audi, Beirut (2011); Claude Lemand Gallery, Paris (2006); Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery, Kaslik (2006 and 2005); Chahine Gallery, Beirut (2001 and 2000); Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery, Kaslik (1999); Claire M. Maurin Gallery, Aix-en-Provence (1998); Etienne de Causans Gallery, 25 Rue de Seine, Paris (1998); Fransabank SAL, Beirut (1997); Pierre-Michel D Gallery, Beirut (1997); Art et Tableau Gallery, St Germain-en-Laye, (1993); Annabel’s Gallery, Barbizon (1993); Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery, Kaslik (1993); Janine Rubeiz Gallery, Beirut (1993); Galerie de l’Orangerie, St Paul de Vence (1993); Anne Mouilleron Gallery, Strasbourg (1992); Marguerite Motte Gallery, Geneva (1991); Center of Art, 53 Avenue Montaigne, Paris (1991); Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery, Kaslik (1991); and Brigitte Shéhadé Gallery, Paris (1990).

His work has also featured in several collectives over the decades, including: ‘Tajreed’, CAP Kuwait, Kuwait (2013); Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai (2008); Salon International d’art Contemporains, Beirut Hall, (1998); Salon d’Automne, Paris (1995, 1994, 1993 and 1992); and Art International de Genève, Geneva (1994).

Kanaan was the recipient of several awards during his lifetime, including the First Prize for Oil Painting from the Sursock Museum in 1965 and the Prix Vendôme in 1969. He was also awarded the Prix du Président de la République, Lebanon in 1974.

His work is found in prestigious collections worldwide, including at the Sursock Museum, Beirut; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; the Moscow Gallery; the French Embassy, Beirut; the Crawford Institute, New York; and the Ramzi & Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut. 

In 1957, Kanaan co-founded the Lebanese Artists Association. He also taught drawing and painting in Lebanon at the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour, the Lebanese University and the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA). 

Kanaan lived and worked between Beirut and Paris. He died in Lebanon in 2009, just hours after completing his final artwork, ‘Le Paradis’, at his Beirut home.