Artworks by Mouna Rebeiz
Curated by Roberta Semeraro
The artistic world of Mouna Rebeiz (Beirut, 1957) is devoted to celebrating female beauty and sensuousness, starting from the ideal of the “Three Graces”. In her nudes, inspired by classical iconography, Rebeiz reinterprets Classicism with a contemporary sensibility, prompting reflections on ideal beauty. Attracted by the subjects of ancient painting, as well as by symbols, she has developed a pictorial cycle devoted to the tarboosh (or fez), the traditional headgear that Muslim men still wear today, dating from the 14th century and depicted in numerous Venetian paintings and drawings.
This conical hat, made of red wool or silk and decorated with a band or feather, has always been worn at various official events, both political and religious, as a sign of respect for the elderly and the authorities.
In Mouna Rebeiz’s works, this headgear provocatively identifies the distinctive feature of her female nudes in their monumental sensuality, because, as the artist states, it has never been more important to reflect at length on the very essence of “being a woman”, to quote the philosopher and psychoanalyst Elsa Godard. The tarboosh therefore evokes Venetian painting in shades of crimson red, but above all it emphasises the symbolic importance of accessories and their subliminal significance, which triggers unprecedented transversal interpretations.
Admission to the exhibition with the Museum’s hours and ticket.
