If you ignore the dust and cobwebs, it is hard to believe that Halim El-Hajj (1915-1990) last worked in his studio over 20 years ago. The sculptor, who grew up in the village of Bejjé (16km above Byblos,) left many things behind in the studio: medallions, busts of well-known Lebanese and foreign (mostly French) personalities, stone and bronze, as well as moulds. The room is bright but the high windows prevent views of the valley below from proving distracting. The garden and foyer of the house are peppered with statues and medallions, and Hajj’s nephew plans to turn it into a museum one day.

Hajj’s work-coats hang near a shelf on which two packets of ‘South’ cigarettes rest. There are black and white photographs and sketches of politicians, poets, generals, writers, singers, clerics, saints and Phoenicians, as well as awards, adorning the walls. Inside one of the drawers of a worktable there are black and white photographs of French singer Mireille Mathieu and a list the artist drew up of “il ne faut pas oublier” (things “one ought not to forget” in English), which includes “the joy of creating.” [Link]