LIFT - January 2022

Lift - An exhibition of restored artworks damaged in the 2020 Beirut port explosions

As part of UNESCO’s flagship initiative Li Beirut to revive cultural life in the Lebanese capital, and with a grant from the Government of Iceland, BeMA restored 17 paintings damaged during the Beirut August 4th port blasts, in 2020.
The artworks all carry the signatures of renowned Lebanese artists such as Jamil Molaeb, Hussein Madi, Amine El Basha, Shawki Chamoun, Paul Guiraguossian, Rafik Majzoub, Edgar Mazigi, Nizar Daher, Hassan Jouni and Bibi Zoghbe, and include pieces from the BeMA - Ministry of Culture collection exhibited at the Grand Serail, as well as others from local galleries and private collectors.
The treatment of the artworks followed a series of steps, such as the cleaning of the paintings’ surface and reverse, the mending of the tears using microscopes and special light, and the retouching of the scratches. 7 restorers worked on the restoration project: 4 from the BeMA team and 3 Graduate students of the Conservation Institute of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, specialized in tear mending canvas restoration.


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Lift - An exhibition of restored artworks damaged in the 2020 Beirut port explosions