 Joseph
Matar
>>CV
in Arabic<<
Born August 3rd, 1935,
at Ghadir, Lebanon.
Nationality: French and Lebanese.
Schooled at the Marist Brethren, Jounieh.
Polyglot.
Art
Scholarships from governments:
*Madrid
, 1961-1962-1963
*Paris
, 1963
*Rome
, 1973
*Paris
, 1985
Practice
in studios of acknowledged masters:
*Omar
Onsi's, 1951-1961
*George
Corm's, 1958-1961
*Rachid
Wehbe's, 1955-1957
*Italian
Cultural Centre, Beirut, 1955-1957
*Ecole
Supérieure des lettres, Beirut, 1955-1957
*Beirut
Faculty of medicine (Anatomy), 1958-1959
Diplomas:
*Diplomas
of Higher Studies, Madrid University and San Fernando School of
Fine Arts, 1961-1963.
*Doctorate
3rd cycle, University of Paris. “ Plastic arts, pictorial technology
and expression.”
*Doctorat
d' Etat 1999, Lebanese University.
Assignments:
*Lebanese
State instructor since 1954.
*In charge
of refresher courses for Lebanese art instructors in Beirut, Tripoli
and Byblos state high schools, since 1965.
*Instructor
of Fine Arts at Holy Spirit University, Kaslik, since 1963.
*Titular
professor of the Lebanese University.
*Chairman
of the Drawing and Painting Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts
of the Lebanese University, 1980-1985 and 1994-1996; member of the
Faculty Council.
Exhibitions:
* More than sixty-five
personal exhibitions in Lebanon and around the world.
1961 - Private show,
JOUNIEH.
1964 - Carlton Hotel, BEIRUT.
1965 - Sacred Art Show, St. Joseph’s University, BEIRUT.
1966 - Sacred Art Show, Seminary of GHAZIR.
1967 - Town Hall, JOUNIEH.
1968 - Carlton Hotel, BEIRUT.
1970 - St. Joseph’s University, BEIRUT.
1971 - Town of AJALTOUN.
1972 - St. Joseph’s University, BEIRUT.
1973 - Carlton Hotel, BEIRUT.
1974 - Hispanic Cultural Center, BEIRUT.
1976 - August: at the Zahle Club, SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL.
1976 - July: at the Monte Libano, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL.
1976 - September: at the Belo Horizonte, BRAZIL.
1977 - Cultural Center, JOUNIEH.
1978 - Fish Grotto, JOUNIEH.
1979 - Casino du Liban.
1979 - Water-color Show at the A.T.C.L., JOUNIEH.
1980 - May: Higher Council for Culture and Science, KUWAIT.
1980 - May, June: Le Prisme Gallery, JAL EL DIB.
1980 - December: Saint Rafqa, JEL EL DIB.
1981 - April: Hispanic Cultural Center, BEIRUT.
1982 - May: Le Prisme Gallery, JAL EL DIB.
1983 - February: Hispanic Cultural Center, BEIRUT.
1984 - Le Prisme Gallery, JEL EL DIB.
1986 - Hispanic Cultural Center, BEIRUT.
1987 - Le Prisme Gallery, JAL EL DIB.1988.
1988 - Cultural Center, MIZIARA.
1989 - December: President’s Palace, BAABDA.
1990 - Brief activities in various Lebanese towns.
1991 - April: Drawings and studies, Le Prisme Gallery, JAL EL DIB.
1991 - September: Water-colors, KANO, NIGERIA.
1992 - February: Water-colors, IVORY COAST.
1993 - November: Foyer Franco-libanais, PARIS.
1995 - June: Le Prisme Gallery, JAL EL DIB.
1996 - February, Galerie Jade, rue des Trois Maries, LYON, FRANCE.
1996 - June: Matignon Gallery, SIN EL FIL.
1996 - April, May: Town Hall (Mairie), 8ème arrondissement,
LYON, FRANCE.
1996 - October: Centre d’échange culturel ELAC, LYON. FRANCE.
1996 - October, November: Cité des artistes, MORESTEL, FRANCE.
1997 - March: Echos Gallery, JOUNIEH, LEBANON.
1997 - November: Galerie Jade, rue des Trois Maries, LYON, FRANCE.
1998 - May: Société Générale Libano-Européenne
de Banque, SIN EL FIL.
1999 - January: Table d’hôte des caves de France.
1999 - May: Artisanat, JOUNIEH.
2000 - June: Artisanat libanais, JOUNIEH.
2001 - March: Villa Sursock, BEIRUT.
2001 - December: Town Hall, JOUNIEH.
2002 - October: ABU DHABI., U.A.E..
2002 - November: A.D.G. Gallery, BEIRUT.
2003 - December: Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel, BEIRUT.
2004 - August: Musical evening, BEIT SHEBAB.
2004 - December: Surface libre Gallery, JAL EL DIB.
2005 - September: Al Ryad, SAUDI ARABIA, 27th September – 9th October
, 2005.
2006 - June - Middle East University, Beirut Lebanon.
2006 - October - Surface libre Gallery, JAL EL DIB.
2007 - December - (Sepia) Lebanese Hospital Jhitawi, Beyrouth.
2008 - August, Art and craft center, Byblos Lebanon
* Works in private collections,
public, religious and private corporations around the world: France,
Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Vatican,
United States,Canada, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Brazil, Mexico,
Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Abu Dabi, Irak, Syria,
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Emirats, Kuwait, Cyprus and Egypt.
Interviews:
*Courses
of artistic formation on Lebanese Television, for all students at
universities and teachers’ training colleges.
*Radio
- BBC, Voice of America, Montecarlo, France and Kuwait Radio, Radio
Liban.
*TV -
Kuwaiti and Lebanese.
Publications
by the artist concerning his work:
*Several
articles in the local and International press...
*Several
talks given in educational institutions in Lebanon and abroad...
*Polycopied
courses for secondary (senior high) school classes and the teachers’
training college.
*Teachers’
book in Arabic for the Centre for pedagogic research and Development.
*Mentioned
in the book "Couleurs Libanaise" by Joseph Sokhn - Edition
1982.
*Mentioned
in the book "Cent Ans d'Art Plastique au Liban 1880-1980"
- Edition 1982.
*A book
about the artist's work: Peintures du Liban –Joseph Matar - Tanit
Edition -1996.
*Member
of "Art in Context Organization" - New York - 1997
*Mentioned
in the book "Pioneers from Lebanon" Ed. 2000.
*The work
of Joseph Matar was critiqued on April 11, 2000 by Joanna Bassil
(Bachelor of Arts degree, University of Quebec - Montreal, Canada).-
A question of culture and formation which finds its expression in
the work of Joseph Matar.
*His poetry
has been mentioned in "Dreams and Fantasies" part of The
Silence Within series by The International Library of Poetry.
*The works
of Joseph Matar appear in the book "Histoire de l'art du 20ème
siècle, artiste peintre Joseph Matar", Tome III, Académie
Michel Angelo des beaux arts, Beirut, by Alice Atwé under
the supervision of Bernard Renno.
*In July
2001, his poetry was recognized by an award for outstanding achievement
from the international library of poetry.
*Mentioned
in the book "Ardalil - Lebanese Artists Guide, 2001",
L'Ecrit du Phénix, Editions Orientalistes.
*Mentioned
in the book "Arab Artists Resource Guide", an exclusive
directory of Arab cultural representatives - Edition 2003.
* 2003 - A water-color by the artist, 32 x 50 centimeters, was sold
for $1000 at the National Apostolate of the Maronites, USA (9-13
July, 2003).
* The work of Joseph Matar was critiqued on March 6, 2003 by Jean-Maximillien
de la Croix De Lafayette (Music and Art Society of America, Inc.,
President Emeritus), Meet Joseph Matar: The Artist who spoke to
nature and unveiled its divine beauty! And mentioned in the book
'United States and the World Face to Face'
* The work of Joseph Matar was critiqued on April 19, 2003 by Joan
Lluís Montané from the International Association of
Art Critics.
* Mentioned
in the Art magazine "Amman"; Number 100 - October 2003.
* In November
2003, his work was recognized by an award for outstanding achievement
from "Said Akl Awards".
* Mentioned
in the magazine "Cantos Cadre" Canada; Volume 2 - Fall
2003.
* A masterpiece
by the artist was featured on a greeting card (20.000 printed cards)
to promote the commemoration of the Deir Yassin massacre of Palestinians
in 1948 - Sunday, April 4th, 2004 at the Royal Geographical Society,
Kensington Gore, London SW7.
* The
work of Joseph Matar was critiqued on May, 2004 by David Nye, Joseph
Matar: "Wealth of Artistic creativity and abundance of mesmerizing
multidimensional colors - The Last Hurrah of the last great masters
of the grand Orient".
* The
works of Joseph Matar appear in the Images of Eyes Gallery - United
States, October 2004.
* An article
has been published about Joseph Matar in "New York arts Magazine",
Vol 9 n' 11/12, 04, New York USA.
* Mentioned
in the "Dictionnaire Drouot Cotation 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
and 2008 - Larousse Diffusion".
* Mentioned
in the book 'Christianisme Oriental Kérygme et Histoire"
Geuthner, 2007.
* Mentioned
in the book 'Encyclopedia of the 21st Century: Biographies and Profiles
of the First Decade', published by Times Square Press (New York),
2008.
* Mentioned
in the book 'Wild Mulberries' by Iman Humaydan Younes, published
by InterLink Books, 2008.
* Mentioned
in the book 'Les nouveaux Gulliver' of Jean Marcoux, published by
EditionsPourTous, 2008.
* Mentioned
in the Mags Byblos Art and Byblos Switzerland, published by Dr.
Joseph Yammouni, 2008.
II-Articles:
Whatever he is doing, Joseph Matar gives
himself heart and soul. His eyes embrace all, but he sees in depths
beyond what his eyes see, perceiving what only the Spirit can perceive!
This is what he is and this is his whole way of being: joyful at being
present, overflowing with intense tenderness and vitality, smiling when
he greets the rays of sunrise, in other words when embracing existence
itself.
Beware when you approach him, for his thousand-sided flame sears and
burns, awakens and gives pulsating life! His rhythm with the pen is in
tune with his breathing that brings into play his heart and his eyes and
his soul! Whether his arm is a cutting point, a lead pencil or ink, he
opens before us a new world. Like the door of Ali Baba's treasure
opening in obedience to a spoken word, he tells us on a virgin page the
love story of a heart which loves without ever drying up!
With his pencil he expresses the bewitching capricious magic which
shows him reaching to the stars or plucking a modest daisy. The line he
follows is that of the will and of love. Over the fifty-five years
during which he has been revealing himself, he has ever continued to
learn, learning to break in, to domesticate, to humanise all that stands
in his path. His desire has always been to pass beyond them all the
better to affront whatever the future may bring. Alas! how many
expressions there are without effect, without a soul able to reveal
itself, how many prayers seeking to rise up without any religion, how
much religion without prayer!
Yet is not the final purpose beyond pictorial art, prayer and religion
to attain what is supremely sacred? It is something sacred to pass on a
heritage, without more verbiage. The stars do not hide their faces, they
do not hide their light! Being present, they send forth their rays and
reveal their beauty, from which men of every condition have profited
throughout the ages.
This bard of legends and allegories works far removed from words and
from pointless chatter. He has his vocabulary, human and universal, with
which he speaks to the great ones of the earth and to the little ones,
all those who have eyes to see with and hearts to feel with. He always
returns to the same story, his own story, the story of existence. This
colourful saga must always remain unique, in a state of movement, the
saga of changing the world! What a task, what an esthetic experiment.
Here you are invited to the great feast, mystical and enchanting. In
this movement from which you find yourself unable to separate yourself
you will redouble your efforts, for "humanising God" is no light
undertaking. More difficult yet is "divinising man"! Allegories of
creators and created, swirling whirlpools of grace, of brilliance and of
charm... in an eternal love, an eternal spring of metamorphosis and
renewal.
Boutros Germani
►► Some
of the artist's artwork
►► Meet the artist in Art Direct Sale!
►► Some
of the artist's poetry
►► Art Prints available!
Contact: info@lebanonart.com
Online Portfolio available at www.lebanonart.com
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