The Sursock Museum, Beirut's only modern art museum, was damaged by the double explosion on August 4 in the port. " The breath has entered and left everywhere " , explains to franceinfo Zeina Arida, the director of the institution. Built in 1912 by the Sursock family, the building characteristic of the Lebanese style - mixed with Venetian and Ottoman influences - today bears the scars of violent explosions.
The damage in the Sursock museum in Beirut. PATRICK BAZ / AFP / Sursock Museum
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“ All windows and doors up to -4 ” have been blown out, explains Zeina Arida . “ The first night was a terrible night, the building was open on all sides and the works were still inside, ” she recalls. The next day, the museum team, assisted by volunteers, sheltered the works. The facade of this jewel of Lebanese architecture has been pulverized, and its 1920 Arab living room is damaged.
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About twenty works are also damaged. Among them, a portrait of Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, the art collector behind the museum. The canvas painted in 1930 by the Dutchman Kees van Dongen is crossed out with a " large 55-centimeter tear ", according to the museum's conservator. She proceeded to ascertain the damage before sending the painting " to experts so that they could propose restorations " . A process that may take "a lot of time " according to her.
The portrait of Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, torn 55 centimeters. SURSOCK MUSEUM / AFP
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Although she prefers not to set a deadline, director Zeina Arida is categorical: the museum will reopen. She estimates that the reconstruction of the site will cost several million dollars. Patrons and foreign organizations, including the Pompidou Center and the International Council of Museums, have already come forward. “ We were in a state of enormous despair and despair. There is such international solidarity that it gave me courage, ”she consoles herself.
