Louma Rabah

Louma Rabah (b. 1980) is a Lebanese artist who lives and works in Beirut. She left Lebanon with her family as a young child due to the civil war, spending time in both Austria and Egypt, before returning to her country of birth in 1990. 

Rabah studied Fine Arts and Graphic Design at the Lebanese American University, before taking up work as a graphic designer and animator. At the age of 30, Rabah decided to paint professionally.

As an artist, Rabah has become known for her colourful, expressive abstract art in which she brings the wonders and beauty of landscapes and cityscapes to life. A vibrant palette is central to her work, which is often inspired by nature and its beauty, whether it’s Lebanon’s picturesque countryside of mountains, valleys and cacti or childhood memories of flowers or fields. “My happiness is in nature – even a gloomy tree can make me happy,” she told Arab News in an interview. Concerns about the loss of Lebanon’s natural environment and heritage are also focal points in her work.

Rabah was out of town on the day of the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, but her house and studio were extensively damaged in the blast.

While finding it difficult to paint at that time, she has spoken about recognising the need to fix her studio and not only begin creating art there again in incredibly difficult circumstances, but also inviting others round to the space to talk and work through their feelings. People, she has said, were appreciative of this.

In March 2023, Rabah teamed up with two other Beirut-based artists - Semaan Khawam and Elias Ayoub - and the journalist Nayla Tueni, alongside other well-known personalities on a month-long project aimed at raising funds for the Chance Association for children with cancer. Named ‘3 Artists and Nayla Tueni’, the art initiative was held at Rabah’s studio in Ashrafieh.

Louma Rabah’s work has featured in several exhibitions in recent years in Lebanon and abroad. These include: Carousel du Louvre, Paris (2017); Loreta Larkina Art Studio, Venice (2016); Artspace Hamra, Beirut (2016): Office du Tourisme, Paris (2015); Noon Art Gallery, Dubai (2015); Joanna Seikaly Art Gallery, Beirut (2014); Artscape, Beirut (2014); Grand Serai, Downtown, Beirut (2014); Sheikh Zayed Hall, LAU, Beirut (2013); ‘Jabal 2013’ at Le Gray, Beirut (2013); Albandak Art Gallery, Amman (2012); and Gallery Alwan Safi Village, Beirut (2011).