Lina Karam is a contemporary French Lebanese artist painter and designer.Born in Beyrouth in 1958,she moved to Paris in 1976 due to the Lebanese civil war.
She is the daughter of the famous Lebanese modernist architect Joseph Philippe Karam,who heavily inspired her artistic appreciation for lines,structures,and forms from a very young age.
She studied graphic arts at the renowned Guillaume Met de Penninghen and Jacques Dandon workshops,graduating in 1980,and furthered her training in human anatomy at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.
During the 1980’s,she moved to the vibrant Marais district,a setting that deeply influenced her work.There,she captured the energy of Parisian life and close friendships,while developing a refined oil painting technique inspired by classical masterpieces.
Her artistic breakthrough came in 1986 with her first solo show exhibition in Paris,which featured a preface by the celebrated art critic Jean Luc Chalumeau.
She met many inspiring artists who influenced her work.
In 1984,she also illustrated fashion for the famous magazine « La mode en peinture »curated by Prosper Assouline.
In the Marais,she met also fashion stylists,during the 1980’s and 1990’s,her distinctive,motif rich,and colorful styles caught the attention of the luxury fashion industry.She designed textile prints and patterns for major global houses;including Yves St Laurent, Gucci during the Tom Ford era,Moschino,Dolce & Gabbana,Emanuel Ungaro by Giambattista Valli,Diane Von Furstenberg and Valentino during PierPaolo Piccioli era.
Her paintings are celebrated for their free spirited exuberance.drawing deep inspiration from her Meditteranean heritage…She masterfully captures the essence of nature,waves,coastal light,botanical elements,and seashells while seamlessly weaving in references to classical art and contemporary pop culture.
Her works has been exhibited internationaly.Notable showcases include collective features at the Saatchi Gallery in London and Paris’s Nuit Blanche (2018).She also made multiple appearances at the Venice Biennale including the 2019 edition with
the European Cultural Centre at Palazzo Mora aswell as the 2022 and 2026 editions with ACIT,at Palazzo Albrizzi Capello.Her artistic journey is further highlighted by two
solo exhibitions:
« Si vis pacem para pacem »and « Diving in the depth of a journey ».
At the core of Lina Karam’s artistic philosophy lies the purity of free hand drawing.
She believes that simple pencil and a sheet of paper form the vital foundation of all creation.Through this minimalist and instinctual medium,her imagination travels seamlessly,bridging the world of the East and the West.
Through these diverse showcases,her creation transcends borders,speaking through art and drawing as a truly universal language.
