Beirut Art Under The Rubble After The Deadly Explosions

Published August 6th, 2020 - 07:27 GMT

The two powerful explosions at the Port of Beirut on early Tuesday evening left more than 130 people dead and over 4,000 injured. 

After the deadly explosions, the city and its citizens started assessing the damage wrought by the blasts, which occurred at the country’s main port.

The city’s art scene has weathered major damage following the explosions, with at least one museum and multiple galleries sustaining broken walls and windows that knocked artworks on view out of place.

In the wake of the massive explosion art institutions in Beirut are banding together to help protect collections and offer storage.

The damage rocked an already fragile Beirut to its core and wreaked havoc on the city’s renowned art scene. Major art galleries, including Marfa Gallery, located close to Beirut’s Port, and Galerie Tanit were completely destroyed. 

The whole city has witnessed unprecedented damage, and Sursock Museum is no exception. The Museum, once the centre of Beirut’s cultural life in the 1960s and which was reopened in 2015 following a costly restoration, was severely damaged.
 

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Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)

Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)

Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)

The devastated Hotel Le Grey (www.theartnewspaper.com)

The explosion shattered the museum’s doors, windows, skylights, and ceilings (hyperallergic.com)

“At first, we feared it was bombing, and that there would be more to follow,” said Zeina Arida, director of Sursock Museum (hyperallergic.com)

A gallery inside the Sursock Museum Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)

Beirut's Sursock museum suffered extensive damage from the explosion Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)

Several artworks at the museum have been damaged, including a portrait of the institution’s namesake Nicolas Sursock Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum(www.theartnewspaper.com)

Sfeir-Semler Gallery in the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut. Image courtesy Sfeir-Semler (news.artnet.com)

Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
The devastated Hotel Le Grey (www.theartnewspaper.com)
The explosion shattered the museum’s doors, windows, skylights, and ceilings  (hyperallergic.com)
“At first, we feared it was bombing, and that there would be more to follow,” said Zeina Arida, director of Sursock Museum (hyperallergic.com)
A gallery inside the Sursock Museum Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)
Beirut's Sursock museum suffered extensive damage from the explosion Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)
Several artworks at the museum have been damaged, including a portrait of the institution’s namesake Nicolas Sursock Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum(www.theartnewspaper.com)
Sfeir-Semler Gallery in the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut. Image courtesy Sfeir-Semler (news.artnet.com)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
Sursok museum Beirut (Twitter)
The devastated Hotel Le Grey (www.theartnewspaper.com)
The devastated Hotel Le Grey (www.theartnewspaper.com)
The explosion shattered the museum’s doors, windows, skylights, and ceilings  (hyperallergic.com)
The explosion shattered the museum’s doors, windows, skylights, and ceilings (hyperallergic.com)
“At first, we feared it was bombing, and that there would be more to follow,” said Zeina Arida, director of Sursock Museum (hyperallergic.com)
“At first, we feared it was bombing, and that there would be more to follow,” said Zeina Arida, director of Sursock Museum (hyperallergic.com)
A gallery inside the Sursock Museum Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)
A gallery inside the Sursock Museum Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)
Beirut's Sursock museum suffered extensive damage from the explosion Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)
Beirut's Sursock museum suffered extensive damage from the explosion Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum (www.theartnewspaper.com)
Several artworks at the museum have been damaged, including a portrait of the institution’s namesake Nicolas Sursock Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum(www.theartnewspaper.com)
Several artworks at the museum have been damaged, including a portrait of the institution’s namesake Nicolas Sursock Photo: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum(www.theartnewspaper.com)
Sfeir-Semler Gallery in the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut. Image courtesy Sfeir-Semler (news.artnet.com)
Sfeir-Semler Gallery in the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut. Image courtesy Sfeir-Semler (news.artnet.com)

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