Artist Biography
Hussein Madi
Hussein Madi (1938 – 17 January 2024) was a Lebanese painter, sculptor, and printmaker. Born in Chebaa, Lebanon, Madi studied painting, sculpture, and printing at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beirut and the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome. Between 1973 and 1986, he lived and conducted advanced research on Arabic cultural heritage in both cities. Upon returning to Lebanon in 1986, he taught sculpture and engraving at the Institute of Fine Arts, Lebanese University, and before that from 1958 to 1962 at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts.
Madi has participated in international exhibitions such as the Alexandria Biennale, International Biennale, Cairo and International Biennale, São Paulo. His works have been acquired by the British Museum, The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, Dalloul Art Foundation and the Sursock Museum, Beirut, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris and displayed at the Ueno Museum, Tokyo as well as Sharjah Museum.
He presented his work at the Venice Biennale in 2003 and received the Order of the Star from the Italian Government that same year for outstanding contributions to the country.
Throughout his lifetime, Madi received numerous prestigious awards: the Sursock Museum 5th Salon Prize for Painting (1965–66), the 8th Salon Prize for Sculpture presented by the Italian Cultural Centre in 1968/69, and the First Prize for Engraving at Citta di Lecce, Italy (1974). Additionally, he served as President of the Association of Lebanese Artists in 1982 and 1992.
Hussein Madi passed away on January 17, 2024, at the age of 85. He was undoubtedly one of the leading contemporary art figures in Lebanon and the Middle East.
