Samir Tabet (b. 1923, Cairo, Egypt) is a Lebanese painter whose artistic career spans more than eight decades. Although internationally recognized for his distinguished academic career as a chemist and university administrator, painting has remained the defining passion of his life.
Tabet received his early education at the Lycée in Cairo before pursuing university studies in Great Britain. In 1952, while conducting research in microanalysis in Paris, he was invited by Kamal Joumblatt to Beirut to serve as a consultant on the Siblin cement plant project. Captivated by Lebanon and its people, he chose to settle in the country and joined the American University of Beirut, where he pursued an outstanding academic career, eventually serving as Acting President of the University from 1981 to 1985.
Alongside his scientific achievements, Tabet never abandoned his artistic vocation. Having drawn and painted from an early age, he continued his artistic education in Egypt, England, and France before refining his practice under two renowned European masters. In Paris, he studied still life in the studio of Jean-Claude Janet, while in Florence he trained with Pietro Annigoni, one of the twentieth century’s foremost portrait painters. Tabet has often expressed his profound gratitude to both artists, whose guidance left a lasting impact on his work.
In 1983, at the request of President Amine Gemayel, Tabet painted the official portraits of Lebanon’s first seven presidents for the entrance of Baabda Presidential Palace. The portraits remained on display until they were destroyed during the bombing of the palace in 1990.
Between 1987 and 2013, Tabet held approximately ten solo exhibitions at Amal Traboulsi Gallery and Alice Moghabghab Gallery in Beirut, establishing himself as one of Lebanon’s most respected figurative painters. His exhibition Serenity of Objects was dedicated to his wife, Yvette, while all proceeds from the exhibition, in collaboration with Galerie Cheriff Tabet, were donated to Assameh – Birth and Beyond and the Lebanese Society for the Blind and the Deaf.
In May 2025, Galerie Cheriff presented D’hier et D’aujourd’hui, a major solo exhibition celebrating forty years of the artist’s work alongside a new series of paintings completed in 2025, demonstrating the remarkable continuity of his creative practice.
Working primarily in still life and portraiture, Tabet’s paintings are distinguished by their refined realism, technical precision, and quiet elegance. His carefully composed works transform everyday subjects into timeless studies of light, texture, and form, reflecting a lifelong commitment to observation and craftsmanship.
At 103 years of age, Samir Tabet continues to paint, embodying a rare artistic legacy defined by discipline, humility, and an unwavering dedication to his art.
