The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum located in Beirut’s affluent Achrafieh neighbourhood. The museum was founded by Lebanese art collector and patron Nicolas Sursock, who was committed to the endorsement and promotion of art, and recognised the need for institutional support for Lebanese and regional artists. Sursock left his mansion to the citizens of Lebanon as an art museum upon his death in 1952. The patron set up a waqf (trust) containing all of his estate, including the Achrafieh mansion and his art collection, and asked it to be handed over to the mutawalli, who was to be the President of the Municipality of Beirut. After Sursock’s death, there was a delay of nine years before the museum opened its doors in 1961. During this delay, the former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun issued a decree turning the villa into a palais d’hôtes, housing various visiting heads of states. In the meanwhile, the Sursock Museum operated without walls. The institution’s inaugural exhibition titled The First Imaginary Museum in the World took place in 1957 at the Unesco building in Beirut featuring 664 framed colour reproductions of masterpieces from Asia, Europe, and America.

Finally in 1961 the museum opened in Sursock’s former mansion with the Salon d’Automne, an open call exhibition showcasing new art of the time. The Salon, based on the 19th-century French model, awarded different prizes for the most innovative work. It was held regularly following the Museum’s opening, tracing the evolution of fine arts in Lebanon throughout the years. Many significant Lebanese artists such as Shafic Abboud, Yvette Achkar, Etel Adnan, Michel Basbous, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Paul Guiragossian and Aref El Rayess regularly exhibited at the Salon, which was to have a significant impact on the Lebanese art history. In addition to the Salon, the museum organised diverse exhibitions showcasing art from all over the world, from oriental carpets and Syrian contemporary art to 20th century British watercolours and drawings and Belgian contemporary art. Notably, the museum remained open throughout most of the Lebanese Civil War. In 2008, the Sursock Museum closed for major renovation and expansion works. The museum opened its doors again in 2015 and welcomed an active exhibitionary programme. To everyone’s great shock, the museum was badly damaged in the 2020 explosion and is currently closed.

The Sursock Museum contains several collections although the institution is focused on modern and contemporary art. The modern and contemporary art collection comprises works predominantly Lebanese artists, from the late 1800s to the early 200s. The collection is particularly strong on the Lebanese artists from the first half of the twentieth century, including key Lebanese modernists such as Shafic Abboud and Amine el Bacha. The formation of the modern and contemporary art collection is intimately linked with the history and evolution of the Salon d’Automne, as artworks were often acquired by the museum following the Salon. The museum’s other collections include an assemblage of ‘oriental’ artefacts such as Islamic and late Ottoman artworks, textiles, carpets, and icons; Nicolas Sursock’s personal collection including furniture, porcelain, woodwork and other objects. The museum’s collection also includes the Fouad Debbas Photography Collection of over 30,000 images from the West Asia, particularly Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Turkey; and a series of 15 modern Japanese woodcut prints gifted to the museum by the Japanese Embassy in Lebanon and 250 printed photographs of Lebanese architecture by the Museum’s first conservator Camille Aboussouan.

The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum aims to collect, preserve, and exhibit local and international art. Since its reopening of 2015, the museum has pursued a particularly active exhibitionary programme including thematic group shows and solo shows of Lebanese, regional and international artists. The museum occupies a particular position both nationally and regionally: in the absence of a national modern and contemporary art museum, the Sursock Museum has played an important role in the history of Lebanese art. Regionally, the institution is one of West Asia’s oldest modern art museums, making it an important example for several newer modern Arab art museums.