A leading expert in contemporary Arab art, Saleh Barakat founded the Agial Art Gallery in 1991 and the Maqam Art Gallery in 2008, both in Beirut. As the executive manager of the two galleries, he has participated in building major collections of modern and contemporary Arab art.
Possessing a strong business background in addition to his experience in the arts, Barakat has been engaged in developing a healthy market environment for creative expression in the Arab world. He has curated several pan-Arab exhibitions, including the IXth Francophone Summit in Beirut, the 2003 World Bank Summit in Dubai, and “The Road to Peace: Painting in Times of War 1975-1991” at the Beirut Art Center in 2009. He also co-curated the first national pavilion for Lebanon at the 52nd Venice Biennale and the touring exhibition “Mediterranean Crossroads” in collaboration the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He serves on the steering committee of the Arts Center at the American University of Beirut.
