1- About the Artist

George Mattar is an abstract artist who loved lines and colors.

He is the architect whom art to him, became a way of life and a source of perfection.

He first saw the light in Beirut in 1961, and before his career in architecture lighted the way for him in the area of Interior Decoration, where he excelled at in Nigeria, to the extent that the Lebanese community named him "The Lebanese Blessing". George Mattar received his MA degree in architecture from Saint Joseph University, (ESIB) in 1986. After working in this field for about 15 years and being attracted to art, he devoted more of his time to painting and design. In the year 2000, he started focusing on and nurturing his new art vocation, where he attended several occasions related to painting and photography at the American University of Beirut (A.U.B).

The hobbies of drawing, sculpture, and shape mixing which Mr. Mattar has practiced during early childhood, became his first vocational assets since 1998. He started his abstract art journey with an impressionist style, where nostalgia translated nature scenes which prevailed in much of his works. He went on to pour his artistic creativity on wood, the closest medium to his heart! In wood, George Mattar was able to produce a special and unique style. He took full advantage of wood's natural characteristics by carving, sculpting, and mixing it with other media, to create unique sculptures that look like nothing else but itself!

George Mattar is the artist who founded in year 2000 "Le Gal", the Lebanese Artist Group. He spent effort and time to organize group abstract art exhibitions, which he participated in, as well as other individual exhibitions in Lebanon and outside, mostly in Dubai and Australia.

Colors and media unite with him, deftly and intelligently, to reflect masterpieces, either in composition or in structure, for George Mattar possesses a new improvised work that embarks on a beautiful and refined art work. With it, the artist George Mattar sets foot on bright and promising art world.

This is the text which accompanied the film footage "Min Loubnan " (From Lebanon) on artist George Mattar, and which was aired on LBC on Thursday September 7, 2006.

2- From "The Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon" (CCCL) in 2007:

Mr. Georges Mattar Beirut, Lebanon Dear Mr. Mattar, The Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) is deeply grateful for the efforts you have exerted in helping us achieve our mission. Your kind participation in the “ Paint Your Dream” project in Spring 2006 whereby you creatively illustrated a patient’s dream to have no more problems resulted in much appreciated benefit for CCCL. Your unique painting was a hit in the auction held at the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon’s Kuwait Third Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner ( June 8, 2207) which was under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Ms Khadija Hussain Al Gali, a generous donor, won the bid for your painting; whereby, she bought it for 3,200KD i.e. $11,520. Upon these facts, kindly accept our deepest gratitude and thankfulness for your participation and cooperation. Yours sincerely, Salim Zeenni Chairman, CCCL Board

3- Article in French:

Georges Mattar tapisse le bois
Au Club Al-Yarz jusqu’au 5 novembre 2005
L’Orient Le Jour, Octobre 2005

Une cinquantaine de peintures sur bois sont accrochées au Club Al-Yarz jusqu’au 5 novembre. Elles sont signées Georges mattar et font preuve d’un travail pluridisciplinaire ou, sculpture, gravure et peinture s’entremêlent pour ne donner qu’une seule œuvre originale et particulière.

Diplômé d’ingénierie de l’ESIB, Georges Mattar s’est totalement consacré depuis quelques années à la peinture qu’il avait auparavant enrichie par des cours à l’université américaine. Il s’est fait connaître durant son parcours par sa facilité à s’essayer à tous les genres artistiques. Une carrière qui a pris pour lui l’allure d’une confrérie puisqu’il a décidé de créer Le GAL, Groupe d’Artistes Libanais, et d’encourager les peintres à exposer a travers tout le pays.
Sonder toutes les possibilités et affiner son travail ; tels sont les objectifs que l’artiste s’est fixes et qu’il a fini par atteindre. De Dubaï jusqu’en Australie, ses expositions ont, au fil du temps, dévoile sa personnalité et nourri son expérience professionnelle.

Une fois encore, l’artiste innove invente et repousse à sa manière les barrières artistiques. «Mon art est un peu à mon image, dit-il d’un air mi-sérieux, mi-amusé, mobile et libéré des carcans ».

S’exerçant à une technique nouvelle, il introduit un autre matériau dans ses toiles. L’artiste sculpte, grave, peint et marie le bois au plomb pour créer ce qu’il aime appeler une « pièce d’art en paix avec ses dimensions ».

Ses toiles en forme de tapis et couleurs chatoyantes, agrémentées de franges en plomb et de dessins façon kilim, allient la chaleur du bois à la froideur du plomb. Elles sont le reflet de la personnalité de l’artiste et de son ardeur au travail.

Colette Khalaf
L’Orient Le Jour, Lundi 31 Octobre 2005

Order a Sculpture: Whirling dervishes

YouTube Film 2024

The house and the studio of the artist

George Mattar - Art woodwork Journey - hardcover book
with a jacket (300gr.) size 23x30cm 256 pages (150gr.)
A retrospective view of the last 10 years of intense art woodwork.
More than 700 coloured photos are full of spiritual texts with a Soufi atmosphere.