Paper short abstract:

There are number of museums in Lebanon all of which display renowned pieces of art and history that cover a number of millennia. This paper will address the current state of museums in Lebanon and what can be done to encourage art in Lebanon.

Paper long abstract:

Lebanon has the highest level of education in the Middle East, However, this is mainly directly to what is considered but many Arabic cultures as prestigious academic domains such as medicine and engineering.

This accompanied with art and creative education in most school has led to "cultural poverty" amongst most Lebanese.

There are a number of museums in Lebanon all of which display renowned pieces of art and history that cover a number of millennia (prehistory, bronze & iron age, Hellenistic, roman, byzantine period & Arab conquest Mamluk period, and art works for modern and contemporary Lebanese Artists…, however, our research found that people currently frequenting the art galleries and museums are mostly Europeans visiting Lebanon and a minority in the upper middle class who are influenced by the western culture or those who are themselves professional artists. The entry to one of the prestigious private museums in Beirut is currently free with the aim of encouraging visitors from all economic background, however, our data indicate that this initiative has not been successful.

This paper will address the current state of museums in Lebanon (Nicolas sursock museum in Achrafieh Beirut, Beirut National museum and Jubran Khalil Jubran museum in Bcharry North Lebanon…) and what can be done by the public and private sectors to encourage art amongst the young and future generation.