The Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion for Culture

Like all museums in the world, the National Museum of Beirut is the guardian of a history grappling with the throes of oblivion.

However, it is not limited to this mission: it also aims to be rooted in the present and oriented towards the future. It was in this spirit that the idea of opening an annex center to the Museum was born, intended to promote contemporary Lebanese culture, art, and artists. This center also aimed to ensure the sustainability of the National Museum of Beirut by generating revenue from cultural and social activities, as well as space rentals, among other things.

This idea of a center dedicated to contemporary art emerged within the National Heritage Foundation. The annex pavilion project was championed by three women: Mona Hraoui, Rima Shéhadé, and Salma Es Said, wife of Nuhad Es Said, after whom the center is now named.

However, like many projects in Lebanon, it had to face countless difficulties before seeing the light of day.

Obstacles to its Construction

From the very beginning of its construction on land adjacent to the National Museum of Beirut, the center encountered a major obstacle: the presence of groundwater. To avoid any risk of collapse, this problem had to be addressed even before work began. Once this obstacle was overcome, the project could finally start. And yet, no: the Covid-19 crisis then erupted, imposing a new halt to construction until the end of the pandemic.

As if that weren't enough, the Beirut port explosion added to the long list of trials the country has faced. To these tragedies was further grafted the financial crisis of 2019, which seemed to deliver the final blow to the project.

But that was without counting on the tenacity of the pavilion's three patrons: Mona Hraoui, Rima Shéhadé, and Salma Es Said.

The Pavilion's Construction

To raise the necessary funds for the project's continuation, the National Heritage Foundation, under the presidency of Mona Hraoui, launched a fundraising campaign, staking its own credibility. In collaboration with the committee in charge of the pavilion, an initial sum was raised, but it remained insufficient.

It was then that Salma Es Said provided the supplementary funding, posing a single condition: to make the pavilion 'a true jewel.' This requirement was fully met, under the careful supervision of Rima Shéhadé, down to the smallest details.

The pavilion finally saw the light of day in September 2024. It was named the Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion for Culture, in homage to Salma Es Said's late husband, a great art enthusiast and culture lover.

Architecture and Heritage

The pavilion is the work of the renowned and award-winning firm Raëd Abillama Architects, which successfully designed a versatile space capable of hosting both exhibitions and cultural events.

In his conceptual approach, Raëd Abillama drew inspiration from the original plans by Pierre Leprince-Ringuet and Antoine Nahas, architects of the National Museum, which was initially intended to comprise two wings connected to the main building.

Only the left wing had been built. Abillama therefore realized the right wing as a natural extension of the main building, using the same materials and based on the Museum's historical plans. This new wing is connected to the Museum by the Emir Maurice Chéhab corridor, in homage to the one who helped save the Museum during the war. It was Lebanese interior designer Jean-Louis Mainguy who had the idea to give it this name, in recognition of the decisive role played by the emir in the protection of national heritage.

The Beginnings

The first exhibition hosted by the Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion for Culture was 'Portes et Passages' (Doors and Passages), the result of close collaboration between the National Heritage Foundation, BeMA (Beirut Museum of Art), and the committee in charge of the pavilion.

Currently, the pavilion houses two exhibitions:

• From Venice to Beirut. The World in the Image of Man – The Pavilion of Lebanon at the Biennale Arte 2022

• Impressions of Paradise

The history of the National Museum of Beirut and its annex, the Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion, once again proves — if further proof were needed — that Lebanon survives only thanks to the initiative, passion, and determination of committed men and women.