This is Beirut - culture

In France, 'Fiesta' Kicks Off Six Months of Lille Cultural Celebrations

This is Beirut, 27/04 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

A vibrant fiesta offered a joyful response to global chaos on Saturday evening, as crowds gathered for the opening parade of Lille3000, a special six-month cultural season held roughly every three years since 2006. For this 2025 edition, aptly named Fiesta, glowing creatures covered in fluorescent boas paraded alongside spinning giants from ...

Napoleon’s Personal Sword to Be Auctioned in Paris

This is Beirut, 26/04 11:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Paris France Napoleon History Culture Art

A sword once belonging to Napoleon, "commissioned for his personal use" in 1802 and preserved throughout his reign, will take center stage at an auction on May 22 at Hôtel Drouot in Paris. The piece, presented by the Giquello auction house, is valued between €700,000 and €1 million. "Bonaparte, then First Consul, ordered the sword between ...

Rony Mecattaf: One Eye Lost, a Wider Vision Gained

Bélinda Ibrahim, 25/04 18:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Rony Mecattaf Book Beirut Explosion Culture

In August 2020, Beirut was devastated by an apocalyptic explosion. Among the injured was psychotherapist Rony Mecattaf, who lost the use of his right eye. What could have remained a silent tragedy became the starting point for a powerful and unconventional narrative: La blessure qui guérit (“The Wound That Heals”), published in March 2025 by ...

The Little Prince Returns, Glowing Through Parisian Walls

Marie-Christine Tayah, 25/04 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The Little Prince Exhibition Paris Culture Saint Exupéry Art

Visiting the Atelier des Lumières until July 6 is like retracing the footsteps of The Little Prince, reliving a nostalgic voyage among the stars and quietly whispering that “what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Children, parents and dreamers alike are flocking to see the immersive The Little Prince experience, designed in the ...

Set of Shakespeare Folios to be Sold in Rare London Auction

This is Beirut, 23/04 19:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Britain Literature Auction Shakespeare Sotheby's Culture

A set of four Shakespeare folios estimated to be worth more than £3.5 million ($4.7 million) will go on sale in London next month, auction house Sotheby's said Wednesday. The First Folio, published in 1623, was the first collection of William Shakespeare's plays and is considered one of the most important books in English literature. Without ...

Celebrating European Cinema in Lebanon: 29th European Film Festival

This is Beirut, 23/04 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union Beirut European Film Festival Metropolis Movies Culture

The European Film Festival returns to Beirut for its 29th edition, to be held at Metropolis Cinema (Mar Mikhael) from April 30 to May 11, 2025. The European Film Festival, which is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, in partnership with the Metropolis Cinema Association and in cooperation with the European Union Member ...

Games of Desire: Seduction and Its Pitfalls

David Sahyoun, 23/04 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Psychoanalysis Culture Desire Seduction

Seduction is intimately tied to the development of the self. Present from the earliest stages of life, it weaves through every domain—from the personal to the social and political, from the economy to daily interactions, to the great works of art. It can be understood as a form of connection with others, one that reveals unconscious desire. In ...

Huda al-Khamis-Kanoo: Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Heartbeat (2/2)

Bélinda Ibrahim, 23/04 16:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Festival Huda al-Khamis Kanoo Culture Classical Music

At the heart of an ever-evolving emirate, the Abu Dhabi Festival has, year after year, established itself as a space for intercultural dialogue and ambitious artistic creation. Guided by the vision of its founder, Huda al-Khamis-Kanoo, it brings together continents, aesthetics, and generations in unprecedented ways. For its 22nd ...

Baby Artist: 'Thumbelina''s First Solo Exhibition in Tokyo

This is Beirut, 23/04 15:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Japan Exhibition Painting Toddler artist Thumbelina Culture

Gripping paintbrush and crayon, the artist known as Thumbelina splodges and splats with merry abandon, the one-year-old star of a Tokyo exhibition that goes on way past her bedtime. Abstract paintings by the toddler are on sale for 33,000 yen ($230) at her debut show at hip gallery Decameron, tucked above a bar in the Kabukicho red-light ...

El Fan Connects Lebanese Artists with European Audiences in 2025

Marie-Christine Tayah, 23/04 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

El Fan Culture Art Artists Lebanon France

Since its inception in November 2022, El Fan has established itself as a key player in the French-Lebanese cultural landscape. Driven by Fabienne Touma’s vision and based in France, the platform functions as both a directory of artists and a committed project designed to amplify Lebanese artistic voices internationally. “When I first ...

Huda al-Khamis-Kanoo: Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Heartbeat (1/2)

Bélinda Ibrahim, 22/04 17:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Abu Dhabi Festival Huda al-Khamis-Kanoo Culture Music

This is a house that speaks. Every object is a poem, every piece of furniture a memory. In Kanoo's home, one does not merely enter a dwelling, one steps into an intimate museum where arts, civilizations and stories from across the world converge in conversation. Amid Abu Dhabi's cityscape of architectural marvels and sharp lines, this house is a ...

Pianist Igor Levit to Perform Marathon 16-Hour Concert in London

This is Beirut, 22/04 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Piano Igor Levit Concert Erik Satie Culture

This Thursday and Friday, acclaimed pianist Igor Levit will undertake an extraordinary feat in London: a solo performance of Vexations by French composer Erik Satie, a piece intended to last over 16 hours. The event, directed by renowned performance artist Marina Abramović, will take place at the Southbank Centre and is being billed as "a test of ...

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