MACAM museum in Alita, Lebanon

MACAM (Modern and Contemporary Art Museum) in Alita, north of Beirut, is a cultural institution established in 2013, and we got to know it during CommonFest. A museum that explores art as a fundamental cultural tool for a sustainable society. 



MACAM is a private cultural institution established in 2013 by Cesar Nammour, former industrialist and art historian who focuses in particular on plastic arts and Gabriela S. Schaub, editor and archivist in documentation of art in Lebanon. It is located in an old industrial compound, twenty thousand square metres of land on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean sea and the Adonis valley, in a truly special, picturesque natural environment. 





The museum structure in Alita, in the district of Jbeil (the old Byblos), is formed of two old factory buildings that were refurbished and transformed into an exhibition area of 4000 square metres, with some spaces reaching seven meters in height, making it perfect for exhibiting large-size artworks.





The key goal of MACAM is to preserve and document the artistic heritage of Lebanon, and the museum is the dynamic venue for this. Their mission goes far beyond just collecting and exhibiting; it aims to create a cultural centre of reference in a country that has suffered from wars and conflicts as well as political and social instability. So, in addition to the exhibitions, the programme also includes a number of initiatives reaching out to a broad public, with workshops, competitions, tours and cultural activities.



To achieve sustainability for a society, the country needs museums like MACAM that functions as a cultural center and a recevoir of memory. As Cesar Nammour puts it, the culture of a community is the backbone for its sustainability, before even the environmental or economic aspects: “It is of vital importance for the wellbeing and adhesion of a society to create a common memory, respect and preserve art for collective enrichment. Lebanese art heritage is the main concern of MACAM in both its aspects: the revival and preservation of the memory of art and the conservation and exhibition of artworks to keep it in the consciousness of the public in service of a sustainable society.”

Christiane Bürklein

MACAM, Modern and Contemporary Art Museum www.macamlebanon.com
Location: Alita, Lebanon
Year: 2013
Images: Courtesy of MACAM 
Common Fest