Lebanon: Sursock Museum to reopen after years of restoration

Nearly three years after the explosion of the port of Beirut, on August 4, 2020, the Sursock Museum, the only museum of modern art in Beirut finally reopens its doors to the public this Friday, May 26. The building had been severely damaged by the tragedy. His paintings and sculptures had been torn apart by the blast. They are now ready to return to the museum's rooms after three years of restoration in Lebanon and for some at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

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The director of the Sursock Museum, Karina El-Hélou, in Beirut examines a restored portrait of Odile Mazloum (1967) by painter Cici Tamazeo Sursock, April 20, 2023. © JOSEPH EID / AFP

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With our correspondent in Beirut, Sophie Guignon

A patrician Venetian and Ottoman-style villa of the eighteenth century, the Sursock Museum had withstood earthquakes and wars, but not the explosions of August 4, 2020. On the eve of the opening, it's time for finishing touches.

Karina el-Hélou, the director of the institution, is proud to give a tour of the site: "The Arab living room was badly damaged by the explosion. All the woodwork was damaged, the stained glass windows, the showcases. It was a long restoration process that lasted two years. It is the joy of living that resumes in our museum.

The interior of the Sursock Museum, September 14, 2020 after the explosion in the port of Beirut. © Bilal Hussein / AP

Need for patrons to bring the museum to life on a daily basis

In total, it took 1.8 million donations from France, Italy and Switzerland to get the institution back on its feet. "You can't live without beauty, without dreams and without memory. And that's all heritage, says Valéry Freland, director of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (Aliph), one of the main donors. This resurrection of the Sursock Museum was an element of hope for the city, even if the task will be difficult for its director, because it will be necessary to keep this museum alive.

Free and public, the Sursock Museum was funded by the Beirut municipality, but because of the crisis, the coffers are empty. The institution should turn to private patrons to survive.

Also listen: Orient Hebdo - Aliph Foundation: protecting heritage in conflict zones

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• Lebanon
• Culture
• Exhibition