The Flowers of Molaeb

“A flower, Earth’s present in the space of Nature. The gift of Spring for a new beginning.
A daisy from our garden, an old friend to our humble houses, a sign of returning home.
Colour, shape, fragrance, rhythm, the joy of Earth, a celebration of Life.
Flowers I collect, to weave into my work, to write into the book of time, in colour and shape on a canvas. Flowers I dream of celebrating, of belonging to, with an undying touch. I depict them with a new vision, and long to liberate them from ephemerality, with a language of no words.
My flower, my rose, the song of our soil. The flower is the subject of my current focus, the reality of my reality.
In it, my aspirations culminate, I study it with patience, and dissect its minute secrets. I can only aspire to emulate the essence of its beauty.
From flowers I absorb the purity of colour, and seek divinity in our existence.”

Jamil Molaeb

 

Jamil Molaeb was born in Lebanon in 1948. He holds a master’s degree from the Pratt institute in New York and a PhD in Art Education from the University of Ohio. He was a professor of Art at the Lebanese American University and the Lebanese University. Since 1966, he has held different solo and group exhibitions in Lebanon, Algeria, Switzerland, and the United States, particularly New York.

Molaeb participated in two exhibitions at Dar el Fan: “Le Mal-Être” collective exhibition (1972), and “Aquarelles et Gouaches” (1974). He went on to have several shows with Galerie Janine Rubeiz: “Gouache” (1994), “Oeuvres Récentes” (1995), “Nature Présente” (1996), ‘’Sunday’s Promenade’’ (1998), “Paysages et Espaces” (2000), “Azur” (2002), “Vie au Quotidien” (2004), “Glance: Past and Present!” (2005), “Pinceaux Pour Plumes” (at Sursock Museum) and “Les Belles Endormies” (2006), “Serenity” and “Recent Works” (2008), “The Present of Yesterday and Tomorrow” (2011), ‘’Alphabet of Reality’’ (2013), “A Life Worth Living” (2014), “New York – New York, 1984-2015” (2016), “My Diaries” (2017), “Jerusalem” (2018), and most recently “Lebanon: Beauty and Culture” in 2021.

 

Jamil Molaeb, The Flowers of Molaeb, Installation shots 2,© Galerie Janine Rubeiz

 

His work has been showcased by Galerie Janine Rubeiz in a number of art fairs: Abu Dhabi Art, Beirut Art Fair, Art Dubai, and Art14 London. He participated in different sculpture symposia in 1999, and in 2003, he took part in the Bahrain International Sculpture Symposium, and in the large exhibition «Rebirth» at the Beirut Exhibition Center (2011). In 1967, he won the 3rd prize of Sculpture at the 7th Salon d’Automne organized by the Sursock Museum, and in 1995, he earned a special distinction in Painting at the 18th edition of the Salon. He has published 5 books, including, most recently, ”New York – New York, 1984-2015” with Galerie Janine Rubeiz, in 2016.

Jamil Molaeb’s work is part of various public and private collections including The World Bank in Washington DC, and has been sold at international auctions. His work is permanently on display at Galerie Janine Rubeiz.

 

The Flowers of Molaeb

Location: Janine Rubeiz Gallery, Beirut
Duration: 18 January – 25 February

 

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