At BeMA, a work of art takes shape again under the meticulous gestures of the restorer. (Credit: BeMA)
Nestled a little above Beirut, on the once bucolic hill of Fanar, a bright laboratory brings together artisans who are also scientists. Here, a team of restorers works busily, surrounded by pieces many have heard of but few have ever seen.The story began in 2017, when the association Apeal — which would become the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) two years later — was entrusted by then Culture Minister Rony Arayji with Lebanon’s national collection of modern art.Thanks to a donation from the German Embassy, a restoration workshop was created at the UNESCO palace. By a fortunate coincidence, the collection had been stored in an adjoining warehouse."It was both fascinating and sad," says Kerstin Khalifeh, head of painting restoration, trained in Germany and specialized in modern oils and acrylics."I had always heard about this...
Nestled a little above Beirut, on the once bucolic hill of Fanar, a bright laboratory brings together artisans who are also scientists. Here, a team of restorers works busily, surrounded by pieces many have heard of but few have ever seen.The story began in 2017, when the association Apeal — which would become the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) two years later — was entrusted by then Culture Minister Rony Arayji with Lebanon’s national collection of modern art.Thanks to a donation from the German Embassy, a restoration workshop was created at the UNESCO palace. By a fortunate coincidence, the collection had been stored in an adjoining warehouse."It was both fascinating and sad," says Kerstin Khalifeh, head of painting restoration, trained in Germany and specialized in modern oils and acrylics."I had always heard about...
