Samir Tabet is a renowned and cherished figure. At 103 years old, the painter still fervently pursues his painting career.

Of Egyptian descent, Samir Tabet was born in 1923. Passionate about visual art from a young age, "I loved to draw everything in front of me, objects, the things of life." His family nevertheless pushed him to pursue a scientific education because "studying art for a man was unacceptable at the time." He earned a doctorate in Chemistry in London, while taking evening painting classes.

In Paris, married with his doctorate in hand, he conducted research at the Sorbonne while pursuing his passion at an evening school where he drew only nudes. He then trained with two masters, Jean-Claude Janet and Jean-Pierre Alaux: "It was tough, everything was still life and portraits." He spent four to five years working in these studios. He then exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and, over the years, became a member of the Association.

For a time in Florence, he studied under Pietro Annigoni, a well-known Renaissance-style portrait painter of the royal family. He explains that the painters had to come to the studio at specific times; there were eight to ten students present every day, and they would have lunch together with their master. "It was an eight to nine-hour day as long as there was light."

One day, fate decided to lead him to Lebanon; he was called to take charge of a cement plant project in southern Lebanon.

Initially, he planned to remain for a few days to assess the project's technical feasibility. He was advised to use the laboratories of the American University to conduct soil analysis.

He spent weeks conducting his analyses at AUB; at that time, the Chemistry Department was looking for a professor. He contacted his wife, who was then in Cairo, and she didn't hesitate for a second to move to Lebanon.

Samir Tabet remained at AUB for approximately forty years, rising from professor to Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, then serving as Vice President of Academic Affairs for fifteen years, and subsequently as Interim President. "It was a matter of good luck; I was there at the right time," he explains.

In 1985, after roughly forty years at AUB, he decided to change direction. He wanted to fully pursue his passion and said to himself, "Now I'm doing what I've always wanted to do: painting."

Trained in classical painting, Samir Tabet specialises in still life, a reminder of his years in Paris, where he enjoyed strolling through his neighbourhood in the 6th arrondissement, filled with hardware stores and treasure hunts. The one he loves most is the egg: "The shape is beautiful, aerodynamic, it's not an ellipse, and there's this texture, this graininess; it's not porcelain, it's bronze. An egg is a beautiful thing."

For years, in his studio in Kornet Chehwan, even at 103 years old, Samir Tabet has never stopped working. "I paint every day, for five to six hours."

When asked what he particularly enjoys about being a painter, he replies, "The work. I was taught to respect work; I admire anything that represents hard work. It's a craft."

With a life filled with experience and admiration for the beautiful things he attempts to express through his brush and his long hours of work, Samir Tabet is an artist who is the guardian of a classical era where teaching the craft was central. A humble man with a love of life: "It was luck that helped me, but I worked."

Inspired by an Interview by Agenda Culturel

Video June 2025: Artist painter Samir Tabet at 103 years welcomes you at Cheriff Tabet Gallery Beirut Achrafieh