An avid traveler, Jamil Molaeb has been exploring the world for more than five decades, discovering cities and cultures far and wide, from Shanghai to Beirut, passing through Japan, the Americas, Europe, North Africa, and the Arab countries. While he freely chooses the cities he wishes to explore, Beirut and Lebanon remain both his starting point and his ultimate destination, anchoring his journey and informing his perspective.
A visionary, Molaeb considers sharing and passing on what he discovers to be essential to his process. His journey does not end at personal experience: he seeks to convey to others the impressions and emotions that each city imprints on his psyche.
He internalizes the energy of the places he visits, observes their details, rhythms, and unique characteristics, and then translates them directly onto his paintings. Through this process, he becomes both a witness to and an interpreter of the cities he discovers, building a pictorial memory of the world, artwork by artwork. His work establishes him as an artist-archivist of great sensitivity and exceptional quality.
In “Itinéraire - رحلات مُدُن”, Galerie Janine Rubeiz invites you to discover some fifty cities, each as fascinating and unique as the next, through the eyes of Jamil Molaeb. Join us on this journey through painting, from city to city, and let these discoveries inspire you to dream, travel, and see the world in a new light.
The opening reception will take place on Wednesday September 23rd, from 5 to 8pm, at Galerie Janine Rubeiz, in the presence of the artist. The exhibition will be on view until October 30, 2026.
About the artist
Jamil Molaeb was born in Lebanon in 1948. He holds a master's degree from the Pratt institute in New York and a PhD in Art Education from the University of Ohio. He was a professor of Art at the Lebanese American University and the Lebanese University. Since 1966, he has held different solo and group exhibitions in Lebanon, Algeria, Switzerland, and the United States, particularly New York, among other countries.
Molaeb participated in two exhibitions at Dar el Fan: “Le Mal-Être” collective exhibition (1972), and “Aquarelles et Gouaches” (1974). He went on to have several shows with Galerie Janine Rubeiz: “Gouache” (1994), “Oeuvres Récentes” (1995), “Nature Présente” (1996), ‘’Sunday’s Promenade’’ (1998), “Paysages et Espaces” (2000), “Azur” (2002), “Vie au Quotidien” (2004), “Glance: Past and Present!” (2005), “Pinceaux Pour Plumes” (at Sursock Museum) and “Les Belles Endormies” (2006), “Serenity” and "Recent Works” (2008), “The Present of Yesterday and Tomorrow” (2011), ‘’Alphabet of Reality’’ (2013), “A Life Worth Living” (2014), “New York - New York, 1984-2015” (2016), “My Diaries” (2017), “Jerusalem” (2018), “Lebanon: Beauty and Culture” (2021), “The Flowers of Molaeb” in 2023, and “Jamilat” in 2024.
His work has been showcased by Galerie Janine Rubeiz in a number of art fairs: Abu Dhabi Art, Beirut Art Fair, Art Dubai, and Art14 London. He participated in different sculpture symposia in 1999, and in 2003, he took part in the Bahrain International Sculpture Symposium, and in the large exhibition «Rebirth» at the Beirut Exhibition Center (2011). In 1967, he won the 3rd prize of Sculpture at the 7th Salon d’Automne organized by the Sursock Museum, and in 1995, he earned a special distinction in Painting at the 18th edition of the Salon.
He has published 5 books, including, most recently, “New York - New York, 1984-2015” with Galerie Janine Rubeiz, in 2016.
Jamil Molaeb’s work is part of various public and private collections including The World Bank in Washington DC, and has been sold at international auctions. His work is permanently on display at Galerie Janine Rubeiz.