Laure Ghorayeb

Laure Ghorayeb was born in Deir al-Qamar, Lebanon, in 1931.^[1][2][3][4] She first began drawing in 1940, while attending L'École des Sœurs de Saint Joseph de l'Apparition in her hometown.^[5] By 1945, she had moved with her family to Beirut, where she began writing poetry in French.^[5]

After publishing her first book of poems, Black… the Blues (1960), she was awarded a grant to travel to Paris for six months by the French Embassy in Lebanon.^[5][6] She went on to publish four books, including the short story collection A Crown of Thorns Around His Feet (1965).^{[2][3][5][6][7]}

While working as a researcher at the Lebanese Ministry of National Education and Fine Arts, in 1955, she began to pursue visual art seriously, working in charcoal and oils.^[5] She was self-trained as an artist.^[5][8]

Ghorayeb began exhibiting her work in 1966, with her first show, Noir et blanc, appearing at Yusuf and Helen al-Khal's Gallery One in Beirut.^[3][5] The following year, her drawing The Couple won a prize at the Biennale de Paris; that piece would later go missing during the Lebanese Civil War.^[1][5][7] She was heavily involved in the Beirut art scene throughout the 1960s and beyond.^[5] Over the course of her career, she continued to exhibit in both solo and group shows across the Arab world and in Europe, Asia, and Australia.^[1][3] She also participated in biennials in Baghdad and Alexandria, winning first prize at the latter in 1997.^[1][5] Her work is held in the collections of various institutions, including the British Museum, the Barjeel Art Foundation, and the Sursock Museum.^[2][3][5][7]

Later in life, Ghorayeb began collaborating on exhibitions and events with her son, the musician Mazen Kerbaj.^[1][3][5] The two jointly published a book, L’Abécédaire de Laure Ghorayeb et Mazen Kerbaj, in 2019.^[1][9] Another frequent collaborator was the Lebanese artist Huguette Caland.^[3]

Her 86 "Civil War Drawings" were collected in the 1985 book Témoignages.^[5][6] She later referenced this work in her series 33 Days, which dealt with the 2006 Lebanon War.^[5] Another monograph featuring her work was published in 2019.^[5][8]

Features of Ghorayeb's work included monochrome colors, detailed ink drawing, and the incorporation of Arabic text.^[5][6][8] She would sometimes marry her interests in poetry and art, illustrating her own collections.^[5]

In addition to producing her own art, she worked as a cultural critic.^[3][5] Publications she wrote for included Shi'r, L'Orient–Le Jour, and An-Nahar.^[3][8] She also translated poetry from Arabic into French.^[5]

From 1966 until her death, she was married to the actor Antoine Kerbage [ar], with whom she had three children, including Mazen.^[1][5][10] She died in her early 90s in 2023.^[1][2][3]