Elissa Raad

Elissa Raad (b. 1976) is a multi-disciplinary Lebanese artist and educator who was born in the town of Beit Mery. 

Growing up against the backdrop of civil war in Lebanon, Raad sought solace in art and music as a child, proving to be gifted in both fields. She studied music and piano at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music in Beirut between 1987 and 1999, before also broadening her focus to include the visual arts.

In 2018, she attended the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at the Lebanese University, Beirut, obtaining her Master’s in Fine Arts from the institution in 2020. 

As an artist, Raad works across several mediums, spanning drawing, painting and photography. She is known, especially, for her large-scale, highly detailed oil paintings, often described as examples of expressive realism.

In Raad’s works, she captures and conveys typical everyday city scenes, such as fruit and vegetable sellers, and Beirut traffic, or poignant figures, whose deep-rooted emotion is evident from their facial features or stance. Some of her other works include aspects of metaphorical representation and photographic collage, completed in a palette of vibrant colours. These eclectic, fragmented and fascinating compositions draw the viewer in while, at the same time, broadening the scope and scale of the narrative presented. 

Raad’s work has featured in numerous collective art shows in Lebanon, including regular group exhibitions at Galerie Janine Rubeiz. In 2022 she participated in several high-profile shows at the gallery, where themes ranged from spotlighting life in contemporary Lebanon, including its many absurdities, to an exhibition focused on celebrating painting. 

Raad has also shown her work in events at Galerie d’Art Bekhazi and the Cultural Movement, Antelias. She has additionally taken part in several editions of Salon d’Automne at the Sursock Museum, Beirut, giving talks, as well as exhibiting her work, at the prestigious art fairs.

Raad’s professional experience spans illustration, graphic design, animation, design, art restoration, scenography, art supervision and sacred art. 

Aside from her practice, Raad also plays a key role as an educator in both the visual arts and music. Her achievements include co-founding in 2020 the Community Cultural Centre in Beit Mery, an intergenerational forum for artistic and cultural engagement. 

In 2022, she also became a member of the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) educational team for Learning and Outreach and its Artists Council. Raad lives and works in Beirut.