An Article by D. M. (762 words, 4 min. read)
The Presence of Time Itself
At the opening of his retrospective exhibition “D’hier et d’aujourd’hui” at Cheriff Tabet Gallery, time stood still. Guests gathered not only to witness a collection of paintings, but to experience a moment suspended between history and the present, between the silence of objects and the voice of an artist who has lived more than a century. Samir Tabet, aged 103, stood among his canvases, frail in body, yet unshaken in spirit. His gaze, luminous and calm, moved from one painting to the next, as if greeting old companions. The emotional weight in the room was palpable. This was not just an exhibition; it was a celebration of presence: his, and ours.
Painting Beyond Time
Few artists live to see their late works hung beside those from their youth. Fewer still do so with the serenity and dignity of Samir Tabet. This exhibition, curated by his son at the gallery that carries the family name, is a journey across decades, yet there is no rupture between past and present. The canvases, many painted recently, bear no trace of fatigue. Instead, they pulse with the same careful observation and classical restraint that have defined his artistic language from the beginning.
His art remains rooted in still life, in objects arranged with reverence. It is a vocabulary of form and light that speaks of silence, patience, and deep seeing. The paintings are quiet, yet they echo. They whisper stories of a man who never stopped working, who never stopped seeing beauty, even in the most modest forms.
A Tribute of Love
There was an added tenderness in this exhibition: a dedication. With eyes full of emotion, Samir Tabet offered this moment to the memory of his late wife, Yvette. It was not a grand gesture but a quiet homage: “Je dédie cette exposition à mon épouse Yvette. J’ai souhaité rendre hommage à la grande dame qu’elle a été.” (“I dedicate this exhibition to my wife Yvette. I wanted to pay tribute to the great lady that she was.”)
It is as though the entire show were a love letter in oil and pigment, addressed not to the world, but to the woman who shared his life, his travels, and his dreams.
This emotional undercurrent filled the gallery as much as the paintings did. Viewers lingered not only before the canvases but before the man himself: a symbol of dedication, of humility, of a lifelong fidelity to both craft and heart.
The Hands of a Craftsman
At 103, Samir Tabet still paints. Every day. In the quiet of his Kornet Chehwan studio, five to six hours a day, he returns to the canvas, not for recognition or success, but because it is what he loves. For him, painting is labor, and labor is love. Each stroke carries not only color, but the discipline of decades. There is no pretense. His work is sincere, deliberate, and full of life.
In a world that often prizes novelty and spectacle, Samir Tabet’s art offers something deeper. It is a return to the essential. A respect for materials. A reverence for tradition. A belief that beauty still lies in simple forms, and in the hands that shape them slowly, with care.
This wasn’t just a theoretical debate. It was deeply personal for many artists of the time. Take Paul Guiragossian, whose elongated figures cried out with the anguish and tenderness of exile. His canvases pulsed with raw emotion, far from detached abstraction. Or Helen Khal, who taught generations of students that self-expression must be honest before it can be beautiful. Her delicate yet powerful compositions reflected an inner world shaped by both heritage and modernity.
A National Treasure in Flesh and Spirit
To witness this exhibition is to encounter not only an artist but a living era. Samir Tabet embodies a time when art was taught through rigor, when talent was honed through patience, and when success was not pursued, but earned over a lifetime of work. And though he was not born in Lebanon, he chose to give his life to it, raising his family here, teaching generations of students, and now, gifting the country his art and legacy.
The exhibition “D’hier et d’aujourd’hui” is a mirror held up to time a place where the past and the present walk side by side. And in its quiet corners, if you listen closely, you can still hear the voice of a man who tells us, through color and form, that the soul never grows old.
