Iconic Beirut museum reopens after 3-yr repair due to port blasts

Beirut, May 27

The Sursock Museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art has reopened after three years of repair to its building and collections damaged by massive port explosions in Beirut in 2020.

The Sursock Museum succeeded in raising around $2.4 million to complete the restoration work through financial assistance from the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, the French Ministry of Culture, and a 1-million-euro donation from the Italian government under UNESCO's LiBeirut initiative, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Under the LiBeirut initiative, UNESCO and its partners have accomplished much, including rehabilitating 280 educational institutions, jumpstarting the revival of the city's cultural life with the TERDAD Festival, restoring and preserving art and architecture, reinvigorating the city's cultural and creative industries, and now reopening the beloved and emblematic Sursock Museum," said Krista Pikkat, director of UNESCO's Culture and Emergencies Entity.

Two huge explosions rocked the Beirut port on August 4, 2020, killing more than 200, injuring thousands and destroying a large part of the Lebanese capital.

The museum, first opened in 1961, includes displays of works by Lebanese and international artists.

Its permanent collection includes modern art, Japanese engravings and Islamic art.

The collection consists of over 800 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and graphic arts from the 19th and 20th centuries.