Helen Khal

Helen Khal (16 April 1923 – 20 May 2009) was an American artist and critic of Syrian descent.

Helen Khal
Helen Khal with artist Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai, Washington, D.C., 1984.
Born(1923-04-16)April 16, 1923
Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedMay 20, 2009(2009-05-20) (aged 86)
Ajaltoun, Lebanon
NationalityAmerican
EducationLebanese Academy of Fine Arts
Known forPainting
Spouse(s)Yusuf al-Khal

Early life

Helen Khal was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania to a Lebanese American family of Syrian descent. She started her painting career at the age of 21; when illness forced house rest, she began to draw. On a visit to Lebanon in 1946 she met and married a young Lebanese poet, Yusuf al-Khal (they later divorced), and remained in the country to study art at ALBA from 1946 to 1948.[1] She returned to the United States briefly but in 1963, after moving back to Lebanon, she established Lebanon's first permanent art gallery, Gallery One.

Career

With the encouragement of her colleagues, notably well-known Lebanese artist Aref Rayess, Khal pursued her art and she held her first individual exhibition in 1960 in Galerie Alecco Saab in Beirut. Her other one-woman shows took place at Galerie Trois Feuilles d'Or, Beirut (1965); Galerie Manoug, Beirut (1968); at the First National Bank, Allentown, Pennsylvania (1969); in Kaslik, Lebanon (1970); at the Contact Art Gallery, Beirut (1972, 1974 and 1975) and at the Bolivar Gallery in Kingston, Jamaica in 1975. Her work also appeared in the Biennales of Alexandria and São Paulo.[2]

She also taught art at the American University of Beirut from 1967-1976 and at the Lebanese American University from 1997-1980. She inspired many other artists and her "background concerning art is fully enriched by the many wonders of the world of art."[3]

Helen Khal was also recognized as an author and critic. "From 1966 to 1974, Helen Khal was Art Critic to two Lebanese periodicals, The Daily Star and Monday Morning. (...) She also wrote a number of publications in the Middle East and the USA and frequently lectured on art." [4]

A series of 22 lectures that she gave was collected and published as a book titled The Woman Artist in Lebanon.[5]

Death

On May 20, 2009, Helen Khal suffered a stroke and died.

Khal, who was painting shortly before she fell into her final sleep, is remembered for her keen intelligence and probing, witty conversation. The artist on color: “Each color has its own climate, creates its own particular world; inviolate, each color speaks with quiet seduction.” She was "survived by her two sons, Tarek and Jawad, both mathematicians" and "five grandchildren, one great grandchild, and her sister, Seya Parbousingha, also a painter."

References
  1. "In Memoriam: Helen Khal sets her paintbrush to rest, one last time". AUB Bulletin Today. Beirut. 10 (7). May 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  2. "Artist, author Helen Khal dies of stroke". The Daily Star. Beirut. 2009-05-21. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  3. "Helen Khal". Who's Who Amongst Arab Women. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  4. "Helen Khal (1923-2009)". One Fine Art. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  5. Helen Khal (1988). The woman artist in Lebanon. Beirut: Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World. OCLC 19886824. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
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