( b. 1954, Lebanese)

Raouf Rifaï’s work focuses on humanity, nourished by the history of our civilization and cultural heritage. His art serves as a mirror reflecting the transitions and evolution of Middle Eastern society.

Born in Lebanon in 1954, Rifaï lives and works in Beirut. In 1982, he earned a BA in Decorative Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts in Beirut. In 1995, after completing a PhD in Urbanism at La Sorbonne University in Paris, he began teaching in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Lebanese University in Beirut.

Rifaï has participated in numerous collective exhibitions across Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Japan. Since 1984, he has held more than thirty solo exhibitions, including a recent one at Sana Gallery in Singapore. In 2010, he was awarded First Prize at the Salon d’Automne of the Sursock Museum in Beirut. His works have also been successfully auctioned at Christie’s Dubai.

Rifaï’s visual language merges abstract symbols with references to Middle Eastern cultural heritage, such as the traditional tarboosh, rendered in vivid, vibrant colors.

A recurring theme in his oeuvre is the figure of the “Darwich” — a simple man evolving within both real and virtual spaces. Rifaï’s dervishes are as diverse and colorful as Middle Eastern society itself, embodying a multitude of expressions, attitudes, and emotions.