About the collection

Saradar Collection is an initiative built around a private collection with a public mission to preserve, study and share modern and contemporary art from Lebanon. Continuously expanding, the collection contains more than 300 works of art by over 50 artists dating from 1917 until today. While focused primarily on Lebanese artists, Saradar Collection also contains artworks by regional and international artists with ties to Lebanon. Encompassing both traditional and new media, the collection includes works on paper, painting, photography, video, installation and sculpture.

Initiated by Mario Saradar in 2012, Saradar Collection is part of Marius Saradar Holding, a family-owned business. It started as a desire to address the lack of institutional collections in the country and to share local artwork with the public. As international interest in Lebanese art is increasing, the initiative's aim is to support local artists and ensure that a significant part of the country’s artistic heritage is preserved and shared. Saradar Collection continues to grow in both the acquisition of works and the development of critical thinking and knowledge around the artworks, and more broadly, art in Lebanon. In addition to making the collection available to the public through the website and exhibition loan program, the collection is also the starting point for programming and research. This includes expanding the archive with previously published texts, commissioning essays and videos, publishing comprehensive books and organizing public and staff programming.