LEBANON: Of glitter and gold

The Lebanese like their objects glittery. From the dawn of time, their most acclaimed ancestors, the Phoenicians, used to cover their famous soldier figurines with a layer of gold.

For Lebanese artist Hicham Ghandour, the sophisticated art of gilding has lost nothing of its glitz today, even in a country teetering on the brink of violence. While most of his compatriots are packing their suitcases to flee a bleak political and economic situation, Ghandour is putting down roots in his homeland after working for many years in New York.

This antique lover, who worked in restoration at the Metropolitan Museum, and silver-coated a floor lamp for Lenny Kravitz, says he wants to add "a touch of beauty and luxury" to the lives of his countrymen. Recently, he opened a workshop in an old building, where he painstakingly applies layers of gold or platinum on old wooden chairs and mirror frames for his wealthy customers. According to him, his technique is pretty much the same as the one used during the age of the Pharaohs. 

"People tell me that I am crazy, but here I feel home," he says, speaking from his atelier located in the charming and trendy Gemmayze neighborhood of Beirut. With an eye on jet-setters from the Persian Gulf, Ghandour believes that his art, which he contends transforms the banal into precious, will cause a sensation in the region.

Meanwhile, for those with a real taste for gold, he makes cakes garnished with edible gold leaves.

— Raed Rafei in Beirut

Photo: Hicham Ghandour has a taste for gold. Credit: Raed Rafei