Born
in Baalbek – Lebanon 3/31/1931
1940
During the 1st world war met with artist Youssef Al-alam who taught him
the techniques of sculptor
1945
MR Rifai moved to Beirut to study in school La Sagesse
1956
Graduated with a bachelor law degree from Syrian University – Damascus
1957
Graduated with a bachelor Law degree from USJ –Beirut
1957
M.S in Economy and Financial sciences
1957
Established the 1st Law office in Beirut – Nejmeh Square, which was at
the same time his undeclared workshop for doing sculptors
1957
Toured France to inspect closely the fine arts movement
1958
Another tour to France for 3 months, where he concentrated on sculptor
1960
He toured Spain where he participated in a number of work shop by painting
and sculptor
1961-1962
Back to Spain and then Morocco to inspect Islamic Arts
1962
Established an important Law office for genocides cases only ,and there
he selected a room to be his work shop for sculptor
1964
He got involved in the Lebanese politics, And was a nominee in Baalbek
parlimentary elections,but he concluded that politics do not go parallel
with his principles
1965
He toured Holland, Belgium and Denmark where he met well known artists
in landscaping and flower ornamentation
1965
He toured West African States as a member in the executive committee for
the Arab Lawyers’union. He stayed a month in Conakry and met president
Ahmad Sikotory who made him meet sculptors
1965
He toured Arab States and inspected the fine arts movement there
1965
Back to Africa where he settled in Zaire –and stayed in the bushes with
an African sculptors working on wood
1965
He established the Golden Rose Company in Hazmieh- Lebanon for Landscaping
and also established his workshop for painting and sculptor
1976
He was displaced because of the civil war and left to oman where he stayed
for a year and the half
1977
He renovated his work shop and went back to draw and sculpt
1980
A private exhibition in Boutrus Gallery – Sanaigh-Beirut-themed (Joy,Music
and Flowers) rejecting the war
1980
A long tour in Italy wher he stayed in Pietrassanta city and Carara and
practiced sculptoring on marble
1980
Toured the USSR and inspected the fine arts movement there before the
revolution and after
1981
An artistic tour to the far east where he aquired new methods
1981
He finished a Lebanese stone piece titled (A dialogue between man , death
and life ) weighing 6000kgs – private collection –Bekfaia/ Lebanon
1970-1981
Participated in a number of collective exhibitions in France, Belgium
Spain Lebanon
1982
Participated in the Fall 10th exhibition –Museum Sursouk
1984
Participated in the Fall 11th exhibition – Museum Sursouk
1986
A private retrospective exhibition – Painting and Sculptor- at gallery
Beghazzi –40 sculptors- 32 paintings done between 1980 and 1986
On this occaison a special booklet in French carrying 150 pictures was
published ,the text was written by critic Joseph Tarrab
1986
A private sculptor exhibition Art Stairs – sursouk museum
1986
participated in the Fall 12th exhibition – Sursouk Museum
1987
participated in the fall13th exhibition and gained a prize for his piece
(the war monster)
1987
A private exhibition at gallery Almountada-Beirut 31 sculptors
1988
Participated in the Fall 14th exhibition-Sursouk Museum
1988
He did (The Phoenix ) piece,a private collection for ex-president Amin
Gemayel
1990
His workshop was bombarded in Hazmieh,but again he re-built it and continued
working
1990
He toured the U.S and inspected the fine arts movement there He gained
membership in the world center for sculptor in Washington
1991
A private exhibition in gallery Agial ,themed (The Return Of The Phoenix)and
for this occaison a special booklet was published in arabic and french
, written by both art critics May Menassa and Joseph Tarrab.
Bibliography
1980
L'orient- jour - 19/9/1980 - Irene Mosalli
Reveil - 18/10/1980 - Nayla Hamamgi
L'orient- jour - 18/10/1980 - Marie Therese Arbid.
Reveil - 28/10/1980 - Nouhad Salame.
L'orient- jour - 30/10/1980 - Farouk Jammal
Al-anwar - 31/10/1980 - Paul Chaoul.
Al-moustaobal, paris - 29/11/1980 - Paul Chaoul.
Al-thawra, syrie - 29/11/1980 - Khiry Abd Rabou
Al-hasna'- 1980 - Maha Soltan.
Ila al-amam - 29/11/1980 - Abdul Rahman Hammadi.
Al-bayrak - 29/11/1980 - Antoinette Azar.
1981
Lorient-
jour - 16/7/1981 - m. T. Arbid.
Reveil - 1981 -
Al-rayah - 18/4/1981 -
Al-safir - 23/7/1981 - FfayÇal Soltan
Al-nahar - 28/7/1981 - Nazih Khater.
Al-nida'- 31/8/1981 -
Al-khalij al-sakafi,Koweit - 25/9/1981
Al-hasna'- 25/9/1981 -Issam al Abdullah.
Al-anwar - 25/9/1981 - Abdullah Aboud.
1982
Al-Taliia,
Koweit - 3/2/1982 -
Al-Kifah Al-Arabi - 12/4/1982 - Omran Al Kayssi.
Al-Hasna'- 12/4/1982 - Maha Soltan.
Al-Ousbou'al-Arabi - 12/4/1982 -
1983
Al-Anwar
- 3/8/1983 - Zeinab Hammoud
Al-Rassed - 15/4/1983 - Daoud Al Roz.
Al-Doustour - 15/4/1983 - Yassin Rifaye
1984
Al-Kifah
Al-Arabi - 11/6/1984 - Ahmed Farhat
Al-Chira'- 20/8/1984 - Majida Sabra
Al-Siyasah, Koweit - 29/12/1984 -
Al-Mawoif Al-Arabi - 29/12/1984 - Mohamed Al Abdullah.
1985
Reveil
- 3/10/1985 -
Scoop - Décembre - 1985 - Paul Hitti.
1986
Al-Nahar Arabi Et International - 20/L/86 - Ibrahim Abdo
El-Khoury.
La Revue Du Liban - 1/2/1986 - L'artiste Et Critique D'art
Nicolas Harfouche.
Magazine - 22/2/1986 - Ghada Braghit.
Al-Masira - 1/3/1986 - The Writer Imad Moussa
Reveil - 17/3/1986 - Christiane Saleh
Al-Ittihad, Koweit - 6/4/1986 - The Writer Rafic Nasrallah.
As-Safir - 15/4/1986 - L'artiste Et Critique D'art Faissal Sultan.
Al-Anwar - 15/4/1986 - Poete Riad Fakhoury
L'orient- Jour - Critique D'art Joseph Tarrab.
Al-Kifah Al-Arabi - Poete Et Critique D'art Samir
El-Sayegh.
Al-Nahar - 19/4/1986 - Critique D'art May
Menassa
Reveil - 26/4/1986 - Poete Nohad Salameh
Al-Hakika - 14/5/1986 - Docteur Farouk Jamal
Al-Nahar - 26/9/1986 - Poete Inssaf Al-Aouar Moudad.
1987
Al-Masira - 9/5/1987 -
L'orient- Jour - 19/6/1987 - The Art Critic May Makarem
L'orient- Jour - 22/6/1987 -
Al-Anwar - 23/6/1987 -
Al-Anwar - 24/6/1987 -
Al-Nahar - 19/6/1987 -
Al-Safir - 17/6/1987 -
Al-Safir - 21/6/1987 - Critique D'art Nazih Khater
Al-Liwaa - 18/6/1987 - Critique D'art Oumran
El-Kaissi.
Al-Liwaa - 19/6/1987 -
Al-Haki Kat - 20/6/1987 -
Al-Aamal - 20/6/1987 -
Sabah El-Khair - 27/6/1987 - Youssef Bazzi.
Al-Chiraah - 6/7/1987 - The Writer Salam El-Hajj.
Al Chahed - 25/9/1987 - The Writer Imad Nasrallah
Al-Manbar, Novembre - Poete Samir El-Sayegh.
Al-Nahar Arabi Et International - 13/12/1987
1988
Al-Afkar - 6/6/1988 -
AL-Masira - 6/6/1988 - S. Abi Samra
Al-Sayad - 26/8/1988 - Joseph Assaf
Sabah El-Khair - 23/4/1988 - Khaled Mouhamad.
1989 Al-Nahar - 25/3/1989 -
Al-Hasna'- 27/L/1989 - Fadia Abou Ghanem
1990
Al-Ittihad - 16/11/1990 - Wissam Abou Harfouche.
al-kawmi al-arabi - 16/12/1990 - Hassan Zaaiter.
Al-Diar - 7/11/1990 -
1991
Al-Jaish, March - Colette Saliba
Al-Nahar - The Writer Rose Ghrayeb.
Al-Nahar - The Art Critic May Menassa
Some
of the Works