Bio
An inspirational painter of memory, light, and Mediterranean silence; an artist-educator whose canvases and classrooms shaped generations of Lebanese visual artists.
Mohamad Ahmad Azize (1949 – 2025) was a Lebanese visual artist, painter, academic, and professor of fine arts at the Lebanese University. He was considered one of the prominent figures in Lebanese plastic arts and played an important role in art education and the development of the visual arts movement in Lebanon, particularly in Tripoli.
Early Life & Education
Mohamad Azize was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, in 1949. He studied fine arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at the Lebanese University, where he obtained a postgraduate diploma in painting and photography in 1972. He later obtained a postgraduate diploma in fine arts from the University of Paris in 1985 and a diploma in advertising arts from the Lebanese University in 1989. His academic research focused particularly on portrait painting and its historical development from Mesopotamian civilizations to the Renaissance.
Academic & Professional Career
Azize began his academic career as a lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at the Lebanese University (Branch III) in 1976. He later became a tenured professor in 1989 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1996. He also served as Head of the Painting and Photography Department between 1985 and 1994 and was among the founders of the Faculty of Fine Arts branch in Tripoli.
Throughout his academic career, he contributed significantly to art education in Lebanon and trained generations of artists. He was a member of the Lebanese Artists Association for Painters and Sculptors and the General Union of Arab Plastic Artists.
Artistic Career
Azize began his academic career as a lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at the Lebanese University (Branch III) in 1976. He later became a tenured professor in 1989 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1996. He also served as Head of the Painting and Photography Department between 1985 and 1994 and was among the founders of the Faculty of Fine Arts branch in Tripoli.
Throughout his academic career, he contributed significantly to art education in Lebanon and trained generations of artists. He was a member of the Lebanese Artists Association for Painters and Sculptors and the General Union of Arab Plastic Artists.
Awards & Recognition
Mohammad Azize received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career in acknowledgment of his artistic excellence, particularly in portraiture and contemporary visual arts, as well as his contribution to art education in Lebanon and the Arab world. His honors include several first-place awards, international festival recognitions, and regional Arab art prizes, reflecting a distinguished career spanning both artistic practice and academic leadership. A full list and description of his awards and recognitions can be viewed in the detailed section.
His Legacy
Mohammad Azize’s passing in 2025 was considered a significant loss to Lebanese art and culture, as he was regarded as one of the pioneers of the visual arts movement in Lebanon and an influential professor who dedicated decades to teaching and artistic production.
He left behind a large body of paintings and a lasting influence on Lebanese art education and the visual arts movement, particularly in Tripoli, where he was considered a major artistic figure.