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Youssef Howayek is one of the most famous oriental sculptors in the world. Born in 1883, of Lebanese parents, Youssef Howayek's father was a government councilor. Youssef Howayek possessed a fondness for the arts from an young age.
He soon went to Rome, to study the various aspects of art and sculpture from the roman colleges. In the initial part of his career, however, Youssef Howayek was more interested in pointing. He soon moved on to Paris, where two of his paintings were bought by Isadora Duncan for 500 French Francs.
Major Works of Youssef Howayek
A visit to the Sursok Museum will introduce you to some of the most famous sculptures of Youssef Howayek. The First Martyr's Monument was constructed by Youssef Howayek around 1920s. Here Youssef Howayek portrays two women belonging to two different religion.
With this sculptor of a Muslim and a Christian woman, Youssef Howayek attempts to bring together the best of the orient and occident. Youssef Howayek firmly believed that, art and sculpture possessed a powerful language of their own. This could be comprehended by a mind which was free of any kind of prejudice or preconceived notion about either the Orient or the Occident. This statue is one of the landmarks of the Martyr's square in Lebanon. For, the square has been dedicated to those nationalists who lost their lives while fighting with the Ottomans.
Youssef Howayek is also associated with the beautiful statue of Daouud Corm. Corm is a famous Lebanese painter and his paintings continue to baffle many artists even to this day.
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Youssef Howayek also sculpted a statue of the Lebanese Patriarch Elias Howayek. His construction of the the statue of Youssef Beik Karam won him accolades from all corners of the country and beyond.Besides, sculpting Youssef Howayek is also associated with smart paintings with bright colors. His “Our Lady of Seven Sorrows” was donated at the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Paris.
Youssef Howayek is also remembered in the artist's circle for his painting of “Christ in the Garden of Olives”. Most of the art works of Youssef Howayek are invested with a language of their own.
With his death in 1962, Lebanon lost a creative heart and a thinking mind. With his sculptures revealing an influence of ancient Mohammedan thought, one finds Youssef Howayek possessed an artistic genius matched like none other.
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