Halim Jurdak

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Halim Jurdak was a pioneering Lebanese artist whose career spanned multiple key artistic movements of his time. After beginning his formal training at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Art in 1953, he went on to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he received first prize in engraving. Known for his evolution from academic realism to cubism, and later to both figurative and non-figurative abstraction, Jurdak’s work explores form, colour, and composition from a variety of artistic perspectives. His later works focused on the elemental qualities of the human figure. Jurdak exhibited widely, participating in international and regional exhibitions across Lebanon, France, Germany, Egypt, and beyond. He began teaching at the Institut des Beaux-Arts at the Lebanese University in 1966, influencing generations of artists. Jurdak also authored several books on art theory, including The Metamorphosis of Line and Colour (1975) and The Eye of Contentment (1995). His work is held in prestigious collections, including UNESCO Palace in Beirut and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. A recipient of numerous awards, Jurdak remains a significant figure in modern Lebanese art.