Andrée Sfeir-Semler (born 1953 in Beirut, Lebanon) is an art historian and gallery owner. The Sfeir-Semler Gallery has branches in Hamburg, Germany and Beirut, Lebanon, and both locations represent artists working in the field of conceptual art with a preference on political subjects. Since 2003, Sfeir-Semler Gallery has focused on contemporary art from the Arab World.

Early life and education

Andrée Sfeir-Semler studied fine art at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

and filmmaking at the "Centre for cinema and television" in Beirut. In 1975 she was awarded a

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Scholarship and a DAAD German Academic Exchange Service scholarship to continue her studies as a filmmaker. She opted for the latter. She continued her studies at the universities of Munich, Bielefeld with Wolfgang Mager & Juergen Kocka and at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

with

Pierre Bourdieu Pierre Bourdieu (; 1 August 1930 – 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence i ...

. She finished her PhD in 1980 with a thesis entitled "Die Maler am Pariser Salon: 1791 - 1880" (English: ''The Painters at the Paris Salon: 1791-1880''), published at Campus, Frankfurt 1985. The book is a computer based social history of the 19th century French art scene.

Gallery career

In 1985 she opened her first gallery in Kiel, Germany. In 1998, she moved the gallery to Hamburg, where the German branch of Sfeir-Semler Gallery is still based. Beirut gallery: "After 20 years running a top-notch blue-chip contemporary gallery for minimal and conceptual art in Hamburg, owner Andree Sfeir-Semler decided she wanted to expand her business and return to the city she left behind in 1975." In April 2005, on the 20th anniversary of the opening of her German gallery, she made her Beirut exhibition début with "Flight 405", a group show of work by The Atlas Group/Walid Raad,

Elger Esser Elger Esser (born 11 May 1967) is a German landscape photographer, living in Düsseldorf. "He is primarily associated with large-format images of European lowlands with his characteristic low horizon lines, pale luminous colours and vast skies". ...

Alfredo Jaar Alfredo Jaar (; ; born 1956) is a Chilean-born artist, architect, photographer and filmmaker who lives in New York City. He is mostly known as an installation artist, often incorporating photography and covering socio-political issues and war—t ...

Emily Jacir Emily Jacir ( ar, املي جاسر) is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker. Biography Jacir was born in Bethlehem in 1973, Jacir spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, attending high school in Italy. She attended the University of Dallas, Memph ...

, Amal al Kenawy, Till Krause, Hiroyuki Masuyama,

Michelangelo Pistoletto Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 23 June 1933) is an Italian painter, action and object artist, and art theorist. Pistoletto is acknowledged as one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera. His work mainly deals with the subject mat ...

, and

Akram Zaatari Akram Zaatari (born 1966 in Sidon, Lebanon) is a filmmaker, photographer, archival artist and curator. In 1997, he co-founded the Arab Image Foundation with photographers Fouad Elkoury, and Samer Mohdad. His work is largely based on collecting, stud ...

. Since then she has mounted numerous exhibitions including the first one-person-shows in the Middle East by

Walid Raad Walid Raad (Ra'ad) (Arabic: وليد رعد) (born 1967 in Chbanieh, Lebanon) is a contemporary media artist. The Atlas Group is a fictional collective, the work of which is produced by Walid Raad. He lives and works in New York, where he is curr ...

(2008),

(2009), Wael Shawky (2011), MARWAN (2009),

Yto Barrada Yto Barrada (born 1971) is a Franco-Moroccan multimedia visual artist living and working in Tangier, Morocco and New York City. Barrada cofounded the Cinémathèque de Tanger in 2006, leading a group of artists and filmmakers. Barrada also wor ...

(2010),

Etel Adnan Etel Adnan ( ar, إيتيل عدنان; 24 February 1925 – 14 November 2021) was a Lebanese-American poet, essayist, and visual artist. In 2003, Adnan was named "arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab American author writing today" ...

(2010), Mounira al Solh (2011),

Hassan Sharif Hassan Sharif (1 January 1951 – 18 September 2016) was an Emirati artist and prolific writer. He lived and worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is widely regarded as a central figure in contemporary and conceptual art in the region, often ...

(2012), and Gabriel Kuri (2012). Her Beirut gallery hosts diverse curatorial projects including a group show of young Egyptian artists "Out of Place"(2006) curated by William Wells of the Cairo

Townhouse Gallery The Townhouse Gallery was established in 1998 as an independent, non-profit art space in Cairo, Egypt, with a goal of making contemporary arts accessible to all without compromising creative practice. The Townhouse supports artistic work in a wi ...

, Catherine David’s "In the Middle of the Middle" (2008),see: Anna Louie Sussman: ''Gallery Sfeir-Semler there and back again'', Canvas, March 2009, pp. 100-109, p. 108 Bidoun Magazine’s show "NOISE" (2009) by Negar Azimi and Babak Radboy, "Au Delà des Images (Beyond Images)" (2006) with works of the Fond National d'Art Contemporain, France, curated by Jean Marc Prévost & Akram Zaatari, and "HomeWorks" (2008), a recurring forum on Contemporary Art based in Beirut organized by

Christine Tohmé Christine Tohme ( ar, كريستين طعمة) is a Lebanese curator and the founding director of Ashkal Alwan - The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts. Since its establishment in 1993, Ashkal Alwan has been committed to contemporary artistic p ...

, director of

Ashkal Alwan Ashkal Alwan (), The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts is a non-profit organization that promotes contemporary art practices in Lebanon and the broader region. History Ashkal Alwan was founded in 1993 by Lebanese curator Christine Tohmé. Sin ...

. Sfeir-Semler Gallery also represents established European and American artists including Robert Barry, Elger Esser,

Ian Hamilton Finlay Ian Hamilton Finlay, CBE (28 October 1925 – 27 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener. Life Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to James Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Annie Pettigrew, both of Scots descent. He was ...

Hans Haacke Hans Haacke (born August 12, 1936) is a German-born artist who lives and works in New York City. Haacke is considered a "leading exponent" of Institutional Critique. Early life Haacke was born in Cologne, Germany. He studied at the '' Staatlic ...

, Günter Haese,

Sol LeWitt Solomon "Sol" LeWitt (September 9, 1928 – April 8, 2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. LeWitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and "structures" (a term he pref ...

, Timo Nasseri, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Ulrich Rückriem,

Christine Streuli Christine Streuli (born 23 July 1975) is a Swiss-born contemporary artist who lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Biography Streuli grew up in Switzerland in Zurich and in Langenthal and in the USA in Chicago. From 1997 to 2001 she studied at ...

, therefore nurturing a cross-cultural link between Western and Middle Eastern contemporary art practices.

Artists

References

Further references

*''Beirut Gallery Weathers War'', Artnet News, July 27, 200

*Kaelen Wilson-Goldie: ''Less Roses'', The Daily Star, August 2007 *''NOISE at Sfeir-Semler Gallery''

*Lucy Fielder, ''Make some NOISE, Sfeir’s show challenges the idea of art galleries'', Now Lebanon, December 16, 2009, s.p. *''Was ist das für ein Leben, wenn man nichts riskiert?'', Andrée Sfeir-Semler interviewed by Petra Schellen, Die Tageszeitung, 19.12.201

*Andrée Sfeir-Semler interviewed by Andrew Mc Clintock, SFAQ International Arts and Culture, Issue.9, May 2012, pp. 52–5

*Kaelen Wilson-Goldie: ''Mundane objects in a disemboweled space'', The Daily Star, August 17, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sfeir-Semler, Andree Lebanese art dealers 1953 births Living people Businesspeople from Beirut Lebanese art collectors