A Glimpse Of George Salamoun’s Extensive Art Collection In Dubai
Lebanese interior designer George Salamoun’s art collection, permeated with colour-fuelled optimism and an affinity for abstraction, cuts across cultures and generations
Weightless and wonderful, one of exiled Cuban sculptor Jorge Mayet’s papier-mâché tree mobiles floats before the stairway in George Salamoun’s enchanting Jumeirah villa in Dubai.
Suspended in the air, Jorge’s rootless trees never quite touch the ground, cultivating the feeling of transition familiar to those in diaspora. George and his wife Helena have been collecting art for more than two decades.
Their residences in Dubai, Barcelona and London, enclose The Salamoun Collection; 120 modern and contemporary works by artists from North and South America, Europe, Africa, as well as the Middle and Far East. “Art travels with us wherever we go,” says George.
Artwork by Samia Halaby (Triptych Morning Rain, 1997) adds a bright and colourful vibe to the all-white bedroom
The couple, both pursuing careers in finance, resided in cultural capitals – Beirut, Paris, London and New York – before settling in the UAE with their son and daughter 15 years ago.
George was drawn to his UAE address for its vast open spaces, and double-height ceilings: “To better appreciate the art,” he says. In the living room, beneath a bold yellow ceiling, Syrian painter Mouttea Murad’s intersecting neon grids, which combine spirituality and formalism, radiate from a large, 1.85m canvas which sits at the heart of a matte, industrial wall.
Various artworks by Hussein Madi (Abstract Flora, 2001 and Untitled, 1970), Jamil Molaeb (Paysage à l’oiseau, 2010) and Jorge Mayet’s rootless tree punctuate the stairway
To the right is Frattali (Yellow) (1999-2000), a mirrored piece by Italian theorist and object artist, Michelangelo Pistoletto. For Michelangelo, reflection facilitates the meeting of art and everyday existence, a synthesis that clearly speaks to George.
In 2008 he left a 15-year career in banking to cultivate a life centred around his passion, interior design. Through his turnkey practice, George transforms the living spaces of the UAE’s elite, applying his fine eye for art and furniture to private residences, galleries, restaurants and offices.
Artwork by Nabil Nahas (acrylic on canvas) adds character and dialogue to the dining room where colours of red and yellow liven up a muted background
His own abode, an exquisitely curated assemblage of colourful objects and abstract art, dissolves the barriers between art and design. Punctuated by modern and mid-century furniture, in the dining room Nabil Nahas’s 24 Carats (2013) a golden, cosmos of intersecting patterns, hangs above a glass-topped Nomos table by Norman Foster, surrounded by a collection of Charles and Ray Eames’ clean-lined, wire chairs.
George considers The Salamoun Collection to be “eclectic”, by which he means that lithographs in Japanese painter Aki Kuroda’s ubiquitous blue, Spanish surrealist Joan Miró’s Homenatge a Joan Prats (1971) and a playful crocheted hound by Portuguese visual artist, Joana Vasconcelos are in symphony.
A beautiful artwork by Aki Kuroda entitled Angel City III and IV (2000) exudes warmth throughout the space
Joan professed that he applied his colours like “words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.” And colour sings harmoniously throughout George’s home; it’s the unifying force which shapes The Salamoun Collection. When Helena and George met in Beirut in 1999, they acknowledged a mutual adoration for art. “We made a pact then that we would always buy art together,” he reminisces.
The very first works they acquired were two mixed media pieces from Chant Avedissian’s Icons of the Nile series, Umm Kulthum and Asmahan. “They reminded me of my mother and her aunts who migrated to Lebanon from Egypt,” says George. Later, they began to invest in artists revered internationally. George first encountered Alexander Calder’s playful kinetic art in the London home of the late Lebanese author and architect, Assem Salam.
Large, lavish frames on the floor reveal art by Marwan Kassab-Bachi, (1986 and 1987) for a contemporary gallery ambience
His ethereal mobiles stirred something in him and they went on to acquire Mobile Black Elephant (1973). The couple’s process of buying is both emotional and instinctive: they collect because they love the works and meeting the artists. George and Helena have formed firm bonds with several artists from their native Lebanon.
“I paid a visit to painter Jamil Molaeb in his village Baissour,” recalls George. “We walked together, through his eponymous museum, discussing the masters of the Middle East.” They’re currently eyeing the art of Jamil’s son, chamber musician and painter Ribal Molaeb.
The blue painting by the rustic stairs is an artwork by Jamil Molaeb (2008); The painting behind George is by Khosrow Hassanzadeh (2005)
“I’m curious to see both Jamil’s influence and Ribal’s evolution,” notes George, adding, “Helena and I have known painter Marwan Sahmarani since our childhood. We love his technique, manipulation of colour, and the strokes of his abstractions. We’ve forged a friendship and acquired several works by him including Cityscape (2009) and Abstract Tarbena (2016).”
Many of their acquisitions which span radical Algerian painter Baya Mahieddine, Lebanese essayist, and visual artist Etel Adnan and Syrian-German painter, Marwan Kassab-Bachi, to name a few, reflect a profound appreciation for their Middle Eastern heritage.
A white console table is accentuated with art by Rana Begum (no. 191, in 4 parts, 2009)
“When living outside your homeland, such artworks take on a new significance; they form a connection to bright memories and fond moments in the Levant,” he says.
United through bold colour and the visual rigour associated with geometric abstraction, the traces of these intimate associations and a sense of open-eyed curiosity for the world reverberate throughout The Salamoun Collection. When asked what these artworks bring to his life, George insists: “Art brings what’s missing.”
Photography by Aasiya Jagadeesh, ITP Images
