A Tribute to Lebanon – Liban: Le Voyage explored Western creations inspired by Lebanon, from the eighteenth century to the present day, through artworks and historical objects from the eclectic and fascinating collection of Philippe Jabre.

A voyage through time and space, the exhibition invited visitors to discover the image of Lebanon filtered through Western eyes. Long before the establishment of the modern Republic of Lebanon in 1943, Western artists, travelers, and artist-travelers, already felt the irresistible attraction of this region of the world. In between a fantasized Orient and a truthful recounting of history, straddling reactions to political events and aesthetic inspirations, the works epitomized the multiplicity of foreign points of view on Lebanon.

The exhibition featured more than a hundred exceptional artworks and artefacts, spanning rare objects representing, testifying or resulting from travels, such as automats, postcards, dolls photographic or watercolor albums.

Artworks included historical Orientalist paintings of Lebanon’s Mountain and main cities, Beirut and Tripoli, as well as rare works by twentieth-century major artists, with, among others, pieces by Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and nineteen-eighties Lebanese-wartime paintings by A.R. Penck and photographs by Don McCullin.

Eschewing a traditional chronological narrative, A Tribute to Lebanon placed the accent on the emotions spurred by close and distant encounters with Lebanon, its mosaic of ethnic groups, landscapes, and colors. It conceived of Lebanon as a spirit, an attitude, unlimited by time or space, and a vehicle for timeless values.

Curator: Gaby Daher
Scenographer: Jean-Louis Mainguy

Works from the Philippe Jabre Collection