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Byblos, in northern Lebanon, boasts walls from another era, a splendid church dating back to the time of the Crusades, a temple with obelisks, Roman-paved walkways and an amphitheater where the sea breeze has supplanted millennia-old tragedies. Sometimes, Byblos is home to exceptional adopted citizens who contribute more to its fame than the natives themselves. Such is the case with Reynaldo Sayegh, this troubadour artist, who anchored himself in the world’s oldest Phoenician port, where his ideas soar to catapult unique, eloquent, and extraordinary works to all corners of the globe.
Reynaldo Sayegh, known as Rey or Reynaldo to his friends, abandoned his Ashrafieh residence in 2000 and decided to settle in this small northern town that, at the time, resembled a sleepy hamlet. He crafted by hand whatever pleased him and whatever his fertile imagination dictated. For a long time, his impressive gallery resounded with the notes of Italian operas, displaying everything that adorned walls, tables, and terraces, both locally and abroad. Vibrant wool or cotton knits, wooden coasters, colored and referencing Lebanese expressions, rainbow-hued dotted vases, paper sculptures and astonishing photographs that blended a spectrum of blues with landscapes evocative of the Mediterranean.
An indefatigable globe-trotter, all it took was a glance at the vast blue for his inspiration to renew itself. However, it’s on canvas that his personality unfolds in all its facets. The outspoken man humorously plays with literal translations of Lebanese proverbs, tracing them in Latin characters on boards. Perfect mementos of a delightful and hilarious Lebanon, they’ve become trophies for many expatriates. Another best-seller is inspired by bronze figurines found at Byblos’s obelisk temple, which Reynaldo has stylishly rendered on tall, narrow canvases. His prior studies in biology inspired now-historical subjects, set against a backdrop brimming with details that reveal a mystical and mysterious world. Mixing pastures and the Milky Way, magi and fakirs, queen mothers and odalisques, Lebanese and rainbow flags, Europe and Ahiram, myths and reality, he was avant-garde, daring to be and express himself as a pioneer. With laughter at the ready and life in full embrace, he savors every moment, daringly experimenting on canvases in his inimitable style.
The artist has forsaken a single exhibition space, distributing his works in various shops in Byblos and Beirut, the most representative of which is Alice Eddé’s Gibran’s Library, located in the heart of the old souk. Painter, photographer, craftsman, weaver, and brilliant creator of a thousand unique and charming objects, Reynaldo Sayegh exhibits his work until August 20 at Eddé Yard in Bougainvillea Street, in the heart of the old souk. The exhibition aims to reconnect with long-standing friends, clients, and passionate collectors since 2000. It is time to restore the ancient cities to their deserved significance and pay tribute to the artists who, as conquerors, have ridden the waves of dark events without succumbing.
