Located in Beirut, the Sursock Museum houses modern and contemporary art and is known for its distinctive architecture, built in 1912, featuring Lebanese architecture with Venetian and Ottoman influences.
This rich architectural heritage, once the private villa of Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, was transformed into a museum in 1961 according to his will.
The Sursock Museum aims to preserve and safeguard the collective memory of Beirut, as it has witnessed various historic events and conflicts over time. The most recent event it has endured was the explosion at the Port of Beirut in 2020.
The Sursock Museum also aims to provide a platform for critical thinking, debates, and learning through various means such as collaborating with Lebanese artists in curating exhibitions, creating publications, and maintaining a library and permanent collection.
26 May 2023 to 15 May 2025 Collection
Numerous exhibitions have been held at the museum, showcasing both international and Lebanese artists, including Abboud and Amine el Bacha. Additionally, the museum offers access to modern and contemporary art collections as well as Islamic art. “The collection consists of over 800 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and graphic arts from the 19th and 20th centuries.”
Their collection page presents some of the artworks and provides details about them, including the artist’s name, date of creation, and more.
Accessible collection via the Museum pages are:
The Sursock Museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art is comprised of works by predominantly Lebanese artists, from the late 1800s to the early 2000s.”
The Oriental collection comprises Islamic and late Ottoman artworks, as well as textiles, carpets, and icons.”
The special collections include a series of Japanese woodcut prints gifted to the Sursock Museum by the Embassy of Japan in Lebanon following an exhibition at the Museum in 1966.”
Along with his 19th century mansion, Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock’s waqf covers a collection of furniture and objects he had collected or been gifted from various destinations.”
The Sursock Museum is home to The Fouad Debbas Collection, a photographic collection comprising over 30,000 images from the Middle East, from 1830 till the 1960s.”
In the exhibition section, a list of past and present displays can be explored, with detailed information about each exhibition provided.
In addition to its collections and exhibitions, the Sursock Museum has a library and archive that collect, preserve, and make accessible local and regional art historical research for students, researchers, curators, and the wider public. The library holds about 4,000 books. While the books are only accessible on-site, the library catalog can be accessed and downloaded from the museum’s website.
In conclusion, the Sursock Museum through its diverse collections, exhibitions, and educational initiatives, continues to be an important platform for artistic expression, historical preservation, and cultural dialogue.