Sami Basbous
Sami Basbous is a painter, published author, composer, lyricist, poet and photographer. He is a multi-disciplinary artist that obeys Rilke’s prescription that art arises from necessity. He has lived in Beirut, Paris, London, Montreal, New York, and Los Angeles, travelling voraciously.
Educated in Beirut, France and England, Basbous went on to study at the London Film School and be apprenticed by legendary impresario Robert Blackwell in Los Angeles. Slings (and other slings) and arrows of outrageous fortune led him back to his homeland in the late nineties when he was at death’s door in his early 30s, a profoundly moving and healing experience that redefined his vision, sensibility and mission through art.
Basbous has exhibited his art in Los Angeles, New York City, Sydney, Australia, Beirut, and Montreal. He has performed his music in venues in Lebanon, all over Europe and North America, had his memoir, Heal the Boy in 2019 published by Noir, Blanc, etc., and his booklet of poetry, L’Ange à qui Homme Apparut, published in 1997 by L’Orient-Le Jour. He has performed his music in venues in Lebanon, all over Europe and North America, acted in films, produced TV shows, and directed plays in New York City.
He was the musical designer for MAC Cosmetics from 2000 till 2017, and in 2012 he released Farewell Beirut O Scarlet Tramp, an album of original compositions. He composed, lyricized and orchestrated Martha Wash’s 2019 Album, Love & Conflict; Ms. Wash is ranked as the 179th best singer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
Sami Basbous’ recent work starts on the streets of Lebanon and other cities and places in the different countries he visits. He looks for the decaying beauty of posters and flyers on walls that withstood time and adversity, reflecting on his personal stories within the neighbourhoods.
Listening to intuition and wielding with immediacy, Sami scratches, peels and carves out what exists, recreating chimeras of what will soon be covered. It’s an amorous reverse/revenge collage process.
The result is then photographed and printed on canvas or noble paper. In his atelier, he paints with oil, acrylic, ink, pastel, and charcoal on the photograph while listening to original music; channelling portraits of characters he originated in his poetry and novels, and visiting spirits, producing art rich in dimension and layering.
The photographs meld with imagined portraits, creating souls eager to tell forgotten and invented stories and fables. Sami’s artwork is completed when visual chaos abates, and meaning is found, yielding atonement and realizing healing.
Basbous works with different media, creating portraits, collages, abstract work on canvas, noble paper, wood, and architectural plans. He sculpts, does assemblages, and is a photographer.
Educated in Beirut, France and England, Basbous went on to study at the London Film School and be apprenticed by legendary impresario Robert Blackwell in Los Angeles. Slings (and other slings) and arrows of outrageous fortune led him back to his homeland in the late nineties when he was at death’s door in his early 30s, a profoundly moving and healing experience that redefined his vision, sensibility and mission through art.
Basbous has exhibited his art in Los Angeles, New York City, Sydney, Australia, Beirut, and Montreal. He has performed his music in venues in Lebanon, all over Europe and North America, had his memoir, Heal the Boy in 2019 published by Noir, Blanc, etc., and his booklet of poetry, L’Ange à qui Homme Apparut, published in 1997 by L’Orient-Le Jour. He has performed his music in venues in Lebanon, all over Europe and North America, acted in films, produced TV shows, and directed plays in New York City.
He was the musical designer for MAC Cosmetics from 2000 till 2017, and in 2012 he released Farewell Beirut O Scarlet Tramp, an album of original compositions. He composed, lyricized and orchestrated Martha Wash’s 2019 Album, Love & Conflict; Ms. Wash is ranked as the 179th best singer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
Sami Basbous’ recent work starts on the streets of Lebanon and other cities and places in the different countries he visits. He looks for the decaying beauty of posters and flyers on walls that withstood time and adversity, reflecting on his personal stories within the neighbourhoods.
Listening to intuition and wielding with immediacy, Sami scratches, peels and carves out what exists, recreating chimeras of what will soon be covered. It’s an amorous reverse/revenge collage process.
The result is then photographed and printed on canvas or noble paper. In his atelier, he paints with oil, acrylic, ink, pastel, and charcoal on the photograph while listening to original music; channelling portraits of characters he originated in his poetry and novels, and visiting spirits, producing art rich in dimension and layering.
The photographs meld with imagined portraits, creating souls eager to tell forgotten and invented stories and fables. Sami’s artwork is completed when visual chaos abates, and meaning is found, yielding atonement and realizing healing.
Basbous works with different media, creating portraits, collages, abstract work on canvas, noble paper, wood, and architectural plans. He sculpts, does assemblages, and is a photographer.
Download Sami's catalog:
| sami_basbous_portfolio_2023.pdf |
