Khalil Saleeby (1870–1928) a founder of modern art in ﺧﻠﻴﻞ ّاﻟﺼﻠﻴﺒﻲ (١٨٧٠-١٩٢٨) أﺣﺪ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻲ اﻟﻔﻦ اﻟﺤﺪﻳﺚ ﻓﻲ ﻟﺒﻨﺎن Khalil Saleeby (1870–1928) a founder of modern art in Lebanon ﺧﻠﻴﻞ ّاﻟﺼﻠﻴﺒﻲ (١٨٧٠-١٩٢٨) أﺣﺪ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻲ اﻟﻔﻦ اﻟﺤﺪﻳﺚ ﻓﻲ ﻟﺒﻨﺎن The Rose and Shaheen Saleeby Collection is a unique and extraordinary bequest to AUB by Dr. Samir Saleeby. It features more than 60 paintings by leading Lebanese Statement from the President of AUB artists including Khalil Saleeby, Omar Onsi, Saliba Douaihy, and Cesar Gemayel. The Rose and Shaheen Saleeby Collection is a treasure that few have seen. With Dr. Saleeby’s vision is for all who have an interest in art and the cultural heritage of the opening of the AUB Art Gallery this unique trove of Lebanese art will be Lebanon to share his enjoyment of the paintings. available for all to view and appreciate.

This first exhibition in Beirut celebrates the work of Khalil Saleeby, AUB is humbled and tremendously proud to receive these works. Our heartfelt a relative of the donor. Khalil Saleeby is widely considered to be one of the most gratitude is extended to Dr. Samir Saleeby for choosing the American University of influential Lebanese painters of his time, inspiring the work of many of the artists Beirut as the institution to preserve and display this collection. We feel honored to who followed him in the 20th century. be able to share these beautiful paintings with all of Lebanon and the world. The collection is being exhibited in a new temporary gallery at AUB. It will later form the centerpiece of the Rose and Shaheen Saleeby Museum that will be permanently located in a magnificent heritage building on AUB’s campus. This museum, the first Peter Dorman of its kind in Lebanon, is currently being developed to the highest international President standards and will host permanent and temporary exhibitions of fine art.

AUB will preserve and promote this premier collection, making it available to students, researchers, the people of Lebanon and the Arab world, as well as the wider international community. To this extent, four paintings from this collection are currently on loan to l’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

ﻛﻠﻤﺔ رﺋﻴﺲ اﻟﺠﺎﻣﻌﺔ ا9ﻣﻴﺮﻛﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻴﺮوت jŒHf·*¼(*ªg©›„‚G*Ҟ„64§kFzG*¢Hj©)f¡nk„6*K,zM|DjgJªJªg©›T „‚G*ÓJf„7K5K4j<§ž¾T œ©›1Ÿ¤¡H2*KT 4ÓR ©If¡gGÓIf¡’GT j0§GN ÓQ k„6¢HÎF&*j<§žqº*¦{JT Ÿ„ƒ-KmKÒ+µj©FÒH&¶*W 4§kFzG*L&f-4*zEKœ©ž·*}‚©EKª¤MKzG*fg©›„8Kª„€I&*|ž

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j©Œ/|º* ªg©›„‚G*T ÓJf„7K 5K4 j<§ž¾ Š’0 ¨›< œžŒ- mKÒ+ µ j©FÒH&¶*T jŒHf·* £(* ½KzG*žkqº*¢<τƒDª+|ŒG*»fŒG*K£f¡gGµÓn0fgG*Kiφ›GN j0fkHf¤›Œ/KfJ5*|+(*KN o©0 €M4f+µª+|ŒG*»fŒG*z¤ŒH¼(*j<§žqº*¦{J¢Hmf0§G+4&*,4f<(*lP ³zEK„6K&¶*T }9f¸*lE§G*µ 9|Œ-R

2 3 ﻛﻠﻤﺔ ﱢاﻟﻘﻴﻢ Curatorial Statement

Over the summer and fall of 1928, newspapers in Beirut relayed the details of a œ©›14§„‚º*œkX Ez•G/fDR pP z0Q œ©„8f’-mKÒ+“t„8lGK*z-¥’M|1KQ 1928 fŒG*“©„8Ï1 dramatic story: the painter Khalil Saleeby and his foreign wife Carrie Aude had been j©wM4fkG*–)f.§G*“„˜k-¦f©º*—§•0§0Ž*~I$*|/¢H2K&*«4fFj©g¡/&¶*¥k/K5Kªg©›„‚G* killed following a dispute over water rights. Related historical documents reveal T V P T T T fragments of the public and judiciary debates of the time, offering glimpses not only Ž*}8¢<P ¶mftºP ,N |Q D§HlE§G*™G3µX ª)fT „ƒ•G*K fŒG* 7f•¡G*¢HT mfP „€gQ E¢<jQ ©T „ƒ•Gf+j›„‚kº*T of a long-forgotten and tragic conflict, but also of the social perception of the new £|E{¡HP ,zMz/lIfFªkG*j¡¤º*¼(N *j©

In the news reports about Khalil Saleeby and Carrie Aude’s murder, one finds not only jM§T „6&fº*jMf¤¡G*¨›<‡•D$|º*•M¶2K&*«4fFKªg©›„‚G*œ©›1œk•H¢<jT M4fg1(¶*|M4f•kG*µT the tragic conclusions of two personal stories but also the articulation of broader social Ó+ j¤/*§º* œž„7&* j©wM4f-K jP ©

2FWDYLDQ(ġDQX AUB Art Gallery Curator

4 5 ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ روز وﺷﺎﻫﻴﻦ :Collecting Histories ّاﻟﺼﻠﻴﺒﻲ The Rose and ﺗﻌﺮﻳﻒ وﺗﺎرﻳﺦ Shaheen Saleeby Collection µªg©›„‚G*ÓJfT „7K5K4j<§ž¾vfkkD*œnÈX j©wM4f-jgN „6f¡HmKÒ+µj©FÒH&¶*jŒHf·* The opening of the Rose and Shaheen T T Saleeby Collection at the American 4§kFzG* hJ*§G* «zG*K Ÿ„6* j<§žqº* œž±K University of Beirut represents a 54fgG*ª-KÒgG*£§©ŒG*h©g:ªg©›T „‚G*ҞT „6 landmark occasion. The collection is œ˜X „-”§„6Kf¤-*3jŒHf·*µ–+f„€G*hGf†G*K named after the parents of the donor, “tkºP ,*§IN ªg©›„‚G*T ÓJf„7K 5K4 j<§ž¾ Dr. Samir Saleeby, a prominent Beirut jŒHf·*¢„ƒ0µ}8fŒº*KoMz¸*¢’›Gz©k

6 7 jM|Eµ2§G§º*ªg©›„‚G*œ©›1sT |w-T that were in the possession of the fžFj©›©Ã(¶*jM4§T „€G*j©T ›˜G*¢H£§›†+T artist at the time of his death. Since ¨6&f+¶2z artistic conventions to twentieth- ª.*z¸*jT „M|+†•G*¢H¥+ century modernism’s emphasis on the f•kI*–.§- X 1994–1912 ª¤MKzG*fg©›„8 The story of Khalil Saleeby is one that materiality of the medium. j©È2fF&¶*j©Œ©g†G*|;f¡º*¢H£f¡’G*T takes us from the village of Btalloun £§›†+jM|E¢Hªg©›„‚G*œ©›1j„‚EfI{1&f- T T to Ottoman Beirut, on to the European T T £fFKzM|qkG*µ 4f„‚G*z¸*hJ{H¼(* j©+K4K&¶*Ÿ„8*§ŒGfDj©IfžnŒG*mKÒ+¼(* Saleeby’s life came to a tragic end in T capitals of Edinburgh, London, Paris, T T 1928 when the artist and his wife were jE*z„8ª¤MKzG*H¨N ÅzEªg©›T „‚G*4§kFzG*T and the American city of Philadelphia f©’G2Ï©Dj¡MzHK €M4f+K£z¡GK¦ÊI2(* murdered over a long-standing dispute £fFfHz¡<mf©¡©kT „€G*›†Hj›©:j•©.KN before winding back to Beirut. Similar mKÒ+¼(*j©Hfk¹*,2§ŒG*œgEjT ©FÒH&¶*T concerning water rights in Btalloun. ŸT „ƒ-fžFš4§M§©Ij¡MzHµӞ©•H£f¡.Q ¶* to that of many of art history’s pioneers, 2*K|G*¢HzMzŒG*¼(*jg„€¡Gf+f¸*ªJfžFK Saleeby’s journey originates in a T Dr. Shaheen Saleeby (1893–1989), 4z©tF¢M}8fŒHÓIf¡’Gmf0§Gj<§žqº*P ¢Hªg©›„‚G*j›04–›†¡-¢’G*xM4f-µ childhood distinguished by artistic T a relative of the painter, and father z©G*§H v§kD×*|˜T „7K 1937z©G*§H «§ž0 of the donor of the collection to AUB, inclination. Despite discouraging Ÿ=|G*¨›

8 9 in or Paris, Saleeby chose ¥M|-4§+ªHfQ „T6|FÓS IfQ ¡’G*4K2µfT „8§„‚1N Edinburgh, where a cousin of his lived. |Df„6l¡/4f„6¢H©qP „k+KÓ©

10 11 one of the few Impressionist painters interested in portraiture. While in Paris, Saleeby also exhibited at the famous Impressionist gallery Durand-Ruel.

After a decisive decade abroad, then, Saleeby returned to Beirut and opened an atelier on Bliss Street, across from the Main Gate of the Syrian Protestant College. The following years were prolific ones for Saleeby as his work of this period includes landscapes, Intimate Confidence architectural interiors, self-portraits, (Intimate Confidence – Carrie), 1916 and figural works. His most substantial Oil on canvas board, 46 × 38 cm Ÿ„638 × 46 ž•H£§-|F¨›<lM51916 «4fFv§+ v§+ work, however, is in the genre of V O U Q O U Q portraiture. Building a reputation ,̒G*¦{Jµ¥›ž<Q £(T *3(*ªg©›„‚›G,|M~=N as social portraitist, Saleeby further j©›1*zG*jM4fžŒG*KjS ©Œ©g†G*|;f¡º*œž„M developed a local market forged just T T T two decades earlier by his predecessor, fÅT (*j©„‚©wT „kG*fž<&¶*Kmf©-*{G*KT the painter Daoud Corm (1852–1930). ,4*z„‚G*~F|Hœk0*«{G*Ž§¡G*§J¥M|-4§gG*T ¥M|-4§+ f„T6|F,|¤„7ªg©›„‚G*hT „€kF**{˜J The Faces of Ottoman ªkG*jcT „7f¡G*j©T ›tº*—§T „€G*f©N ž¡HT ª

14 15

previous page left: College Girl, 1920 Oil on canvas, 55 × 37 cm Ÿ„637 × 55 7fžE¨›<lM51920j©ŒHf/jgGf:T

previous page right: Amin Rihani, 1925 Oil on canvas, 65 × 55 cm Ÿ„655 × 65 7fžE¨›<lM51925ÇftM|G*ÓH&*

Aesthetic Bodies: Saleeby’s Nudes

Saleeby’s practice, located between academic conventions and modernism, is perhaps most evident in a series of Villager Wearing a Tarboosh, 1923 nudes completed in first decades of Oil on canvas board, 35 × 27 cm the twentieth century. The bedrock of  ž•H£§-|F¨›<lM5V 1923 7§+|†G*|žkŒM«K|ET Ÿ„627 × 35 academic training, studies of the nude provided the basis for all art-making in أﺟﺴﺎد ّﺟﻤﺎﻟﻴﺔ: ﻋﺎرﻳﺎت European art academies. For viewers today, Saleeby’s nudes are critical ّاﻟﺼﻠﻴﺒﻲ revelations of the network of influences Nude Female Nude informing the development of Saleeby’s (Nude – Carrie), 1922 (Eve), 1901 formal language. z©Gf•kG*Ó+jŒE*§G*ªg©›„‚G*jT „64fÁm|¤;f­T 4 Oil on canvas, 92 × 65 cm Oil on canvas, 81.5 × 44 cm j›„€›„6µf¤-f©›T ¯u„9K&f+j.*z¸*Kj©È2fF&¶*T Ÿ„665 × 92 7fžE¨›<lM51922 «4fFjM4f< jM4f< Ÿ„644 × 81^5 7fžE¨›<lM51901 $*§0 jM4f

18 19 traditional academic canvas. Instead, i§›†º*«zT „€·*œžtkG*¼(T *zJf„º* fžkJ* encrusted brushstrokes—occasionally £f¡’G* fH&T *š*|0Ï+$f•g›GP accompanied by globs of paint directly u†„€G*¨+&fMªg©›„‚G*£fF¥M|-4§gG*µfžF applied to the canvas—acknowledge T Saleeby’s interest in the Impressionists œ+jMz©›•kG*jT ©È2fF&¶*j0§T ›G§•„‚º*T and their followers including John f¤•D*|- –j©Df„ƒG*,f„7|’G*mf+}9£(T * Singer Sargent. However, the overtly ,N }7fgHl©•G&*R $φG*¢Hm*|†EfO If©0&N * staged postures of Saleeby’s nudes, ªg©›„‚G* fžkJT ¶z¤„- – 7fž•G*¨›< set against a sparse backdrop, at once £§/Ÿ¤©D¢­Ÿ¤

Self-Portrait (Self-portrait, his last painting), 1928 Oil on canvas, 80 × 64 cm  7fžE¨›<lM51928 ,Ò1&¶*¥k0§Gj©-*3 jT ©-*3T 20 Ÿ„664 × 80 Ultimately, the greatest advantage »fŒG* µ f¡If˜H ɧ•- ,2f<(* ¢H f¡¡©˜³ اﻟﻔﻨﻮن اﻟﺒﺼﺮﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ Visual Arts at AUB of hosting an art collection at AUB fN Mz•I¦ÒT „€’-K ّ is the possibility of reevaluating and fIz

22 23 ﺧﻠﻴﻞ ّاﻟﺼﻠﻴﺒﻲ (١٨٧٠-١٩٢٨) (Khalil Saleeby (1870–1928 أﺣﺪ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻲ اﻟﻔﻦ اﻟﺤﺪﻳﺚ ﻓﻲ ﻟﺒﻨﺎن a founder of modern art in Lebanon

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT Translation Jacques Aswad Peter Dorman Henry Matthews President Images and Photographs Ahmed Dallal 6DPLU6DOHHE\2FWDYLDQ(ġDQX$KPDG,WDQL Provost Media Relations and Publicity Thomas Kim Maha Al-Azar Chair, Department of Fine Art and Art History Brunswick Arts

Co-organizers Acknowledgement Richard Brow Mariam Sabbah Very special appreciation to Samir Saleeby, MD. Office of University Advancement We are grateful for curatorial and editorial advice Rico Franses from Rico Franses, Angela Harutyunyan, Kasper Department of Fine Art and Art History Kovitz, Walid Sadek, Lucia Scalisi, and Kirsten Scheid and to Lynn El Hout for her help with the 2FWDYLDQ(ġDQX exhibition design. Curator, AUB Art Gallery

We would also like to acknowledge the following Exhibition persons who have been involved at various Curation stages in the production of the pamphlet and 2FWDYLDQ(ġDQX the exhibition: Laura Metzler, Samar Mikati, Conservation Yamen Rajeh and Sarah Rogers. Lucia Scalisi Special thanks to The Fouad Debbas Technical Production Collection and Yasmine Chemali for granting Kasper Kovitz permission to reproduce in the exhibition Texts Carte Postale, Album Sarrafian No 4, 8304, 2FWDYLDQ(ġDQX Foire de Beyrouth, ® The Fouad Debbas Sarah Rogers Collection Beyrouth.

Contributing Writers Printing Kathryn Dorman Salim Dabbous Printing Company 2FWDYLDQ(ġDQX Rico Franses Sponsors Angela Harutyujnyan Byblos Bank, Keystone Group Holding, Sarah Rogers UPS, Arope Insurance, Crowne Plaza Beirut, Walid Sadek Executive Kirsten Scheid AUB Art Gallery Communications Production Sidani Street, Hamra Randa Zaiter PO Box 11-0236, Riad El Solh 1107 2020, Graphic Design Beirut, Lebanon Zeina Tawil Tel: +961-1-350000 Ext: 4345 Ranya Abi Aaad Web: www.aub.edu.lb/art-galleries

24 GROUP HOLDING