Hussein Madi

One of Lebanon’s best-known artists, Hussein Madi was a prize-winning painter, sculptor, engraver, printmaker and graphic artist, who was born in Chebaa, in the southern part of the country. 

Madi’s love of nature and talent for drawing were both evident early on when, as a boy, he began replicating the descriptive illustrations of birds, trees and plants he came across in a dictionary. His subjects remained diverse throughout his career, spanning flora, fauna, figurative compositions, including nudes, and rural scenes.

Madi studied painting at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beirut between 1958 and 1962, with a focus on human anatomy. After a brief stint in Baghdad working as an illustrator and cartoonist, Madi moved to Rome, where he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti and the Accademia di San Giacomo, having been awarded a scholarship in 1965 by the Lebanese government. In the same year, he took part in the Sursock Museum’s 1965 Salon D’Automne and won first prize. 

Madi decided to settle in Rome, living between there and Beirut for the next two decades. The two locations enabled him to acquire extensive knowledge and expertise in diverse fields and techniques spanning frescoes, mosaics and bronze work, while, at the same time, he also researched the MENA region’s cultural heritage and the history of the Arabic language. 

Madi is known for creating colourful paintings in a bold palette that combine European and Islamic elements. The influence of modern Western artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, are in evidence in his work, combined with meticulously calculated abstract, geometric elements that are hallmarks of traditional Islamic art, including the dynamic repetition of motifs and symbols. 

An ability to create volume from folded and seamless shapes is another characteristic of Madi’s work, as is his tendency to meld precise geometry with elegant, sensual curves in visually appealing thick lines in his silhouettes, especially his renowned female figures, bringing added spontaneity to his paintings. His motifs span birds, horses, bulls and cats, with both animals and ‘femmes’ brought to life in paintings and sculptures.

Madi’s works can be found in prestigious collections worldwide, including those at: the British Museum; the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts; the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; the Sursock Museum, Beirut; L’Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; the Sharjah Museum; Modern and Contemporary Art Museum, Alita, Lebanon; Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut; the collection of the Ministry of Culture, Beirut; KA Modern and Contemporary Art Space, Beirut; Ramzi Saidi collection, Beirut; Mazen Soueid collection, Beirut; Chase Manhattan Bank, New York; Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Khalid Shoman Foundation, Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan.

Madi’s work has featured in numerous solo shows, including, most recently: ‘Hussein Madi: Les Femmes De Madi’, Cromwell Place, London (2022); ‘Hussein Madi, Recent Works’, Mark Hachem Gallery, Paris (2019); ‘Unexpected Trove - The Unseen Works of Hussein Madi’ (Rome 1964-1970), Beirut Art Fair, Beirut (2019); ‘Hussein Madi in Amman’, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman (2015); ‘An Endless Sense of Creativity, Collages, Lithographs, Paintings and Sculptures’, Al Markhiya Gallery, Qatar (2014); ‘A Boundless Life’, Beirut Exhibition Center, Beirut (2014); FA Central Bank, Beirut Digital District, Beirut (2013); ‘An Art To See and Touch’, Aida Cherfan Fine Art, Beirut (2011); ‘Une Selections D’Oeuvres: 1960-2010’, at Aida Cherfan Fine Art, Beirut (2010); Marc Hachem, Paris (2010); ‘Sculptures’, Aida Cherfan, Beirut (2009); ‘Paintings’, Aida Cherfan, Beirut (2006); ‘Drawings’, Aida Cherfan, Beirut (2002); ‘Sculptures’, Aida Cherfan, Beirut (2001); and ‘Paintings and Sculpture’, Aida Cherfan, Beirut, (2000). Earlier landmark shows include: ‘First Retrospective’, Chamber of Commerce, Beirut (1979).

His work has also featured in many group shows including, most recently: ‘Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s’, Grey Art Gallery, New York (2020); ‘A la Plume, au Pinceau, au Crayon: Dessins du Monde Arabe’, Institut du monde Arabe, Paris (2019); ‘A Century in Flux’, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah (2018); ‘Beloved Bodies’, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah (2016); ‘The Short Century’, Sharjah Museum, Sharjah (2016); ‘Regards Sur Beyrouth: 160 Ans d’Images 1800-1960’, Sursock Museum, Beirut (2015); ‘Tajreed, Contemporary Art Platform’, Kuwait (2013); and ‘Art From Lebanon’, Beirut Exhibition Center, Beirut (2012).

His work has featured in several biennales, including those held in: Venice (2003); São Paulo, Brazil (1996); Cairo (1994); Kuwait (1984); Baghdad (1974); and Alexandria (1967, 1965). Earlier high-profile group shows featuring his work include events at the: Sursock Museum, Beirut (1992); British Museum, London (1990); L’Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France (1989); Sursock Museum, Beirut (1982); ‘Salon d’Automne’, Sursock Museum, Beirut (1968); ‘Salon d’Automne’, Sursock Museum, Beirut (1966); and ‘Salon d’Automne’, Sursock Museum, Beirut (1965).

Madi was the recipient of several awards and honours, including: the ‘Ordine della Stella della Soliderieta Italiana’ [Cavaliere grade] (2003); First Prize for Engraving, Citta di Lecce, Italy (1974); Salon Prize for Sculpture, Italian Cultural Centre (1968); and First Prize, Salon d’Automne, Nicolas Sursock Museum, Beirut (1965). Madi taught sculpture and engraving at the Lebanese University and the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts for several years. He was a member of the Association of Lebanese Artists, holding the position of president of between 1982 and 1992. He lived between Beirut and Rome.