The Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum is Lebanon's home for modern and contemporary art, set in a 1912 villa on Beirut's Rue Sursock. First opened in 1961, it reopened in 2023 after being restored following the 2020 port explosion, and shows a permanent collection of Lebanese and Arab art alongside changing exhibitions.
Housed in an ornate 1912 villa bequeathed to the city of Beirut by Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, the museum opened to the public in 1961 as Lebanon's first modern art museum. Its collection centres on Lebanese and Arab modern and contemporary art, shown across light-filled galleries and a striking subterranean extension.
Badly damaged by the 2020 Beirut port explosion, the museum was painstakingly restored and reopened in 2023, a symbol of the city's resilience. It remains one of the most important and beloved cultural institutions in the Levant.
Collection focus
- Modern art
- Contemporary art
- Lebanese art
- Works on paper
