The art of Lebanese-born writer, poet, and artist Kahlil Gibran was celebrated at a new exhibition in the Drawing Center in Manhattan. The exhibition, titled "A Greater Beauty: The Drawings of Kahlil Gibran," opened on June 1st, with the Consul General of Lebanon in New York, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Abir T. Audi, and her husband Mr. Dori Audi, serving as the guests of honor.
This display, set to run from June 2nd through September 3rd, 2023, has been organized by the Gibran Museum in partnership with the Gibran National Committee. The exhibition presents approximately 80 of Gibran's drawings, supplemented by 30 manuscripts and notebooks and first editions of his writings in Arabic and English.
Art enthusiasts of various nationalities, including Americans and Lebanese, constituted the large crowd that attended the exhibit's opening. In her remarks, Ambassador Dr. Audi expressed gratitude to the organizers and the Gibran Museum for their efforts to honor the esteemed Lebanese artist and poet.
During the opening, Ambassador Dr. Audi, in an extensive interview with LBCI, addressed the significance of Gibran's work and the exhibition.
“We are here today at the Drawing Center in Manhattan, where an important cultural event is being held: The Drawings of Gibran Kahlil Gibran," she said. "We would like to thank the Gibran Museum without which such an event would not have taken place. Gibran is back in New York after 100 years, and this exhibition shows that Gibran was not only a writer, a thinker, and a poet, he was also a talented artist who created beautiful and great paintings and drawings, which reflect his intellect and genius."
In a call to the public, Dr. Audi said, "We invite the Lebanese community in New York and all art lovers to come to this exhibition. Gibran awakens the universal human in us, he represents that which is higher in us, the elevated man, the elevated soul. And these drawings represent his thoughts in motion."
Dr. Audi also pointed out the larger cultural implications of the exhibition and the enduring power of Gibran's work. "This important event also encourages young talents; Gibran is an inspiration and an invitation for us to reveal our talents," she said. "We have a lot of talented people, a lot of hidden Gibrans among our Diaspora and back home, and it is our duty to discover these talents and showcase their works and share them with the whole world. We may have crises, problems, but this is what remains, that which is eternal, and that is: thought, art, culture. Our cultural heritage is our wealth."
She concluded by expressing her vision of Lebanon as a country of beauty, art, and culture. "This is the real, civilized Lebanon that we love, the Lebanon of beauty, art, and culture; this is the image of Lebanon that we want to show to the world. Lebanon exports talents to the whole world, and while we Lebanese take great pride in Gibran, this great genius belongs to the whole world, his works belong and contribute to world cultural heritage.”
For more information about the exhibition, visit the Drawing Center's website.
https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/a-greater-beauty-kahlil-gibran