50 Their lives have taken them from Beirut and Cairo to London, Paris, Montreal and back to Beirut again. Myrna Ayad meets Antoine and Janine Maamari, who share a life of art collecting that spans decades and crosses many genres. A TALE OF MANY CITIES AnToine And JAnine MAAMAri 51 T hose who wax lyrical about Beirut’s glorious 1960s and early 1970s never fail to mention the Horseshoe Café in the Lebanese capital’s charming Hamra district. it became an intellectual institution, attracting the country’s elite – figures from the worlds of medi- cine, law, engineering, architecture, politics, the arts and academia – who would descend on the Café, which was located near another cultural powerhouse, the Piccadilly Theatre. distinguished men sporting fez hats and fingering their worry beads would engage in stimulating conversations alongside others who would walk in with their paints and brushes. it was here that Antoine Maamari spent many an afternoon break away from his architecture firm, enjoying the company of some of Lebanon’s most celebrated Modern Masters – Paul Guiragossian, Khalil Zgheib, Saliba douaihy, Aref rayess and Yvette Ashkar. Maamari was versed in Lebanese art; he had acquired paintings by Guiragossian and Zgheib, “on instalment” while pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the American University of Beirut. He had even grasped the Café’s enduring legacy back then, when he asked Zgheib to paint a portrait of it. “i remember sitting in my office when Zgheib walked in with the painting, wrapped in newspaper,” he recalls. The work now hangs in one of Maamari’s Lebanese homes, located in the mountains of the village of Kfour, north of Beirut. Maamari beams as he shows me the piece, an air of nostalgia washing over him as he points out its stunning details. “At the time, the artists were part of our community, we socialised together and, in a sense, they lived with us,” he says; “They were lovely people to be around and the art scene wasn’t as hyped as it is today.” ArT PATron Above: Left: Antoine and Janine Maamari with a work by Rima Amyuni in the background. The House in Kfour 2009. Oil on canvas. 120 x 110 cm. Right: Georges Cyr. Convalescence 1945. Oil on canvas. 74 x 59 cm. 52 ArT PATron JoUrneYS froM eAST To WeST Many of the churches and monasteries in the mountains of Lebanon were built in the 17th and 18th centuries, and are listed among the coun- try’s historical sites. The village of Kfour is charac- terised by its assemblage of traditional Lebanese houses – a design style which Maamari and his wife Janine sought to emulate when extending their villa. We sit in the gazebo, which i later learn was originally an external kitchen before devel- opment began on the property. “We wanted a house in the hills,” smiles Janine, who had spot- ted the place in 1985 and called Antoine, who was working in Abu dhabi at the time, to tell him the news. “i cut into the mountain and en- larged the house,” he laughs, “i even bought the adjacent plot to protect myself from someone potentially building a three- or four-storey build- ing!” The view from the Maamari home is spec- tacular and overlooks Jounieh and Beirut, “and, on clear days, Jieh too,” adds Antoine. in the early 1970s, the Maamaris lived in Abu dhabi where Antoine worked on numerous de- velopments in the then-upcoming UAe capital. Among the projects he completed are the Al- Bateen royal palaces complex, the Abu dhabi airport, the town of Al-ruwais, Zirco island and palatial majlis areas. “it was a wonderful period,” recalls Antoine, “i saw Abu dhabi literally com- ing out of the sand.” He recounts tales of his many insightful meetings with Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-nahyan and his son, UAe Presi- dent, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-nahyan. With the discovery of oil, Abu dhabi was booming, but with 250 employees under his supervision and 14-hour days, Antoine eventually sought a Below: Marwan Sahmarani. Le Tarbouche . 2010. Oil on canvas. 92 x 65 cm. Facing page: Left: Lara Baladi. Al-Kholkhal Circa 1995. Photograph. 40 x 60 cm. Right: Nadim Karam. Three Elephants . 2004. Lacquered lead sheets on wood. Three pieces. 45 x 60 cm, 25 x 33 cm and 20 x 27 cm, respectively. 53 change of pace. The political turbulence which plagued Lebanon in the 1980s deterred the couple, now with two young sons, from return- ing to their homeland. instead, they moved to London and shuffled also between Paris and Montreal before eventually returning to Beirut in 1992. However, Abu dhabi was never far from the couple’s minds; Antoine began collecting Vi- enna bronzes in reminiscence of his time spent there and is excited to show me pieces from a now-vast collection in the house’s “orientalist room”. Lined below an antique damascene gate in a room furnished in earthy hues and oriental- ist paintings are little bronze men on horseback, clad in turbans and traditional dishdash ; others rest below palm trees or appear to be haggling in a bazaar. it was during their time in London that the couple assumed an active interest in art and collecting. Janine attended exhibitions and en- rolled in art courses, “and Antoine would call me when he wasn’t in town to tell me which auction to attend and what to bid for,” she laughs. Her commitment to the arts led her to plan exhibi- tions and events for the promotion of Arab art in London, including a show at Leighton House Museum of 19th- and early 20th-century orientalist painters and photographers whose subject matter is Leba- non. originally of Syro-Lebanese descent, Janine was born and raised in egypt where her family of solicitors had homes in Cairo and Alexandria; homes which, she says, “were beautiful in eve- rything that they comprised, from the windows and carpets to the tiles and mosaics.” egypt had ignited a love of islamic art within Janine; so much so, that she began collecting art from this genre while in London. Their acquisitions were varied, but the couple collected in depth those types of works that they are passionate about. “We are very eclectic and have the same tastes generally,” adds Janine, “but we never really con- sidered what we bought as ‘collections’. it was, and has always been, a case of buying what we like.” during the construction of the Kfour home, Antoine built a tunnel – now lined with his as- sortment of antiquarian books – and which leads to a sitting area. WideninG HoriZonS in April 1989, the British Lebanese Association staged Lebanon: The Artist’s View: 200 Years of Lebanese Painting at the Barbican Centre in Lon- don. despite heightened political tensions in Lebanon, which led to numerous transport chal- lenges and exorbitant insurance fees, the artists, patrons and members of the Association, includ- ing the Maamaris, persevered. By the time the exhibition closed two months later, conflict had escalated in Lebanon and hindered the return of the artworks. “i was sick of hearing of my country being associated only with bombs and war,” says Antoine, who had suggested that the exhibition travel to Paris and then committed himself to planning the show’s next destination. in turning a disadvantageous situation to a distinct plus, Antoine sought to give the public “a new view- point, a discussion in other terms, beyond war,” and more importantly, “to give our countrymen a morale boost.” The Lebanese diasporas of Lon- “I felt the need to do something else and I felt it must be about art.” Janine Maamari 54 ArT PATron don and Paris pooled their efforts and the exhibition was staged at the institut du Monde Arabe for three weeks. The Maamaris explored various genres of art and their collections expanded as they visited the galleries and auctions from which they had acquired pieces by an assortment of artists, including Lyonel feininger, Hugo Pratt, Marino Marini, Leonardo Coccorante, Alexander Calder, Louis françois Cassas and Sam Szafran. Their purchases were not limited to painting and sculpture, but also includ- ed Suzani embroideries, iznik tiles, antique maps and chandeliers, mother-of-pearl inlay furniture, carpets, potteries and ceramics. And, as with all of their homes, Janine handles the interior decora- tion. “it’s always a given for Janine,” adds Antoine, “and when i finished [the Kfour residence], i gave it to her with bare white walls.” Looking around the house, a warmth is clearly palpable – an intention on Janine’s part, as well as those of interior designer Tarfa Salam, through the infusion of specific themes into certain salon areas and rooms; even the bathrooms feature ottoman or Baalbek-style “Greater exposure and understanding is really what is needed and where we can lend more support.” Janine Maamari 55 ArT PATron Facing page: Paul Guiragossian. Untitled (Fish). 1958. Oil on canvas. 84 x 74 cm. This page: Above: Sam Szafran. Untitled. Circa 1972. Pastel on paper. 66 x 79 cm. Photography by Jean-Olivier Rousseau. Below: Alexander Calder. Untiled. Circa 1965. Watercolour and ink on paper. 54 x 75 cm. All photography by Mansour Dib unless otherwise specified. Contemporary Lebanese art. Having trained as a psychologist following her studies in London, she put that field aside and committed herself to the promotion of Contemporary Lebanese art. “i felt the need to do something else and i felt it must be about art,” she adds. “All of my old experiences came back and it worked, very nicely actually.” Her re-initiation began with the 2010 Art dubai fair, when the Contemparabia Group of American and european collectors and curators, about 30 in total, were passing through Beirut en route to dubai to discover Lebanon’s cultural offerings. Janine organised the party’s visit, host- ing dinners and lunches and introducing them to gallerists and dealers. However, prior to their arrival, she had already conceived an idea for an exhibition. “i spoke with various people from different realms of the Lebanese art world and suggested we put on a show, group our efforts and show these people our art,” she adds. in a record two months, Janine staged an exhibition of Contemporary Lebanese art created between 2000–10. The show was a success and encour- aged her to pursue similar activities. in 2011, Janine and fellow collector Marie Tomb curated Rebirth: Lebanon XXIst Century Contemporary Art at the Beirut exhibition Centre, which gathered works by 49 Lebanese artists. The show has been nominated for the first edition of the Alice Awards 2012 in the category of Landmark Group exhibition. And when Janine is not busy attend- ing fairs and exhibitions around the world, she catches up on her reading of a hefty stock of books and magazines which are delivered on a weekly basis. As part of their enduring pas- sion for the arts, the couple are recognised as committed patrons, and share an interest in the promotion of art education. “everything we do must be done in a professional manner,” says Janine. “Greater exposure and understanding is really what is needed and where we can lend more support.” baths. “With a house like this, you’re spoilt for choice on where to sit, but it depends on your mood,” she explains; “i’m a very practical person with a practical approach and i already had ideas because we had a lot of stuff!” While the couple own Contemporary art- works, Antoine maintains that many examples of the genre do not appeal to him. “Some of the pieces in Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi, Arnault’s collec- tion and likewise are too much for me,” he says, “i’m not sensitive to that kind of art.” Janine, how- ever, has taken a dynamic and vested interest in