Born in 1965 in Kfarwe, South Lebanon, Youssef Aoun is a Lebanese visual artist who bridges abstraction and material experimentation. Primarily, he works with acrylic, sand, and marble powder. Through layered, tactile surfaces and strong tonal contrasts—often in black and white—he explores the relationship between body and nature.
Over time, Aoun has developed a distinctive visual language based on accumulation and contrast. In particular, he creates crystalline forms, mineral textures, and a sense of geological depth. At the same time, his practice reflects a personal and introspective journey that he describes as an “inner migration.” Thus, bold contrasts and dense surfaces generate tension and stillness. Moreover, his restrained palette allows light and shadow to shape each work.
Aoun earned a Higher Degree from the Lebanese University in 1989. Later, he completed a Master’s in Fine Arts at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) in 2005. Since then, he has continued to teach at ALBA. Today, he lives and works in Beirut.
He has exhibited widely in Lebanon and abroad, including in Beirut, Kuwait, France, Italy, South Korea, and Monaco. For example, in 2023 he participated in L’Art Abstrait au Liban at Saleh Barakat Gallery.
In recognition of his work, he received the Prize of the Jury at the Sharjah Biennial in 1995. Additionally, he won the Dorothy Salhab Kazemi Prize at the Sursock Museum in 1991 and 1995.
Today, public and private collections hold his work in Lebanon and internationally, including the Sursock Museum and the National Museum of Qatar.
