Huguette Caland (; née El Khoury; 19 January 1931 – 23 September 2019) was a Lebanese painter, sculptor and fashion designer known for her erotic abstract paintings and body landscapes. Based out of Los Angeles, her art was displayed in numerous exhibitions and museums.
Early life Caland was born into a Lebanese political family in Beirut, Lebanon on 19 January 1931. Her father, Bechara El Khoury, became the first post-independence president of Lebanon in 1943, serving the country for nine years.
Career Caland came to art somewhat late in life, beginning her studies at the American University in Beirut in her 30s. In 1970, she moved to Paris where she lived and worked as an artist for 17 years. She became a regular guest at the Feraud studio, meeting many artists, including André Masson, Pierre Schaeffer, and Adalberto Mecarelli. In 1979, Caland collaborated with designer Pierre Cardin, creating a line of caftans that were displayed at Espace Cardin. In 1983, Caland met Romanian sculptor George Apostu. From 1983 to 1986, they worked in Paris and in the Limousin, creating many paintings and sculptures during this time.
Later life and death Caland moved back to Los Angeles in 1987, where she lived and worked for the next years. In 2013 she returned to Beirut to say goodbye to her dying husband and remained there until the end of her life.
Among other exhibitions, Caland's work was included in the 2021 exhibition Women in Abstraction at the Centre Pompidou.
Exhibitions Solo exhibitions
Huguette Caland, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut, 2011 Huguette Caland Retrospective, Beirut Exhibition Center, 2013 Solo exhibition, Galerie Janine Rubeiz, Beirut, 2018 Tate St Ives, St Ives, UK, 2019 "Faces and Places" Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, August to December 2020 "Huguette Caland: Tête-à-Tête" The Drawing Center, New York City, June 11–September 19, 2021 "Huguette Caland: My Home" Lisson Gallery, New York, NY, May 13 - July 25, 2026
Group exhibitions Art from Lebanon, Beirut Exhibition Center, 2012 Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, 2012 Prospect 3 Biennale, New Orleans, 2014 Frieze Masters, London, 2014 Hammer Museum, Made in L.A., 2016 57th Biennale de Venezia, 2017
References
External links Anne Mullin Burnham, 1994, Reflections in Women's Eyes , Saudi Aramco World Fayeq Owis, 2008, Huguette Caland, Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists Joanne Warfield, Byzantium in Venice: A Visit with Huguette Caland , The Scream "Huguette Caland: Her Magical World", Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2003, Her magical world Caland's page at the Levantine Cultural Center