Samir Sayegh and Arabic Calligraphy

Samir Sayegh, one of the most renowned master calligraphers in the contemporary Arab world, revolutionized Arabic calligraphy with a modern and innovative approach. Born in 1945, Sayegh was deeply influenced by his years in Paris in the 1960s, where he was immersed in an atmosphere of cultural freedom and emancipation. This experience nourished his grandiose dream of freedom, often disappointed but always renewed.

With the Arab Spring, Sayegh found a new source of inspiration to experiment in his art, creating his collection “Yawmiyyat el-hourriya” (The Notebooks of Freedom). He used this period to further liberate the art of calligraphy, experimenting with different papers, gold and silver. This collection was followed by “Anchored/Ancestral Cities,” inspired by the devastation of historic cities such as Mosul, Aleppo, Beirut and Gaza. In this series he wrote as a hymn or a prayer for peace, without depicting cities or houses but rather suggesting lines of music theory and musical notes.

Sayegh insists that calligraphy, although having begun in the Arab world with the writing of the Koran, is not a strictly religious art but rather universal. He has always been interested in big existential questions, seeking answers through the mysticism of calligraphy. His works, imbued with prose poetry, are an exploration of authenticity and modernity.

The Beirut Museum of Art chose to digitize Sayegh's work as part of the Wasl Beirut Program supported by UNESCO's Beryt fund. An exhibition honoring Samir Sayegh took place at the Oriental Library at Saint Joseph University on December 18 in Beirut, coinciding with UNESCO's celebration of the Arabic language. The exhibition presented his collections “Freedom notebooks 2011-2012” and “Anchored/ancestral cities 2014-2015”. The event also included an exchange with the artist, hosted by Mahmoud Haïdar, and the screening of a documentary essay produced by Karma and Rajwa Tohmé.

Samir Sayegh continues to inspire and influence future generations through his art, which is a fusion of the laws of the cosmos and human spirituality, making him a universal artist and deeply connected to the soul of the Middle East.