Beirut: The American University of Beirut Press (AUB Press) has announced the launch of Beirut Art Review, Lebanon’s first open-access, peer-reviewed journal focused on contemporary and historical art in Beirut and the broader region. This initiative is a collaboration with the Department of Fine Arts and Art History and receives support from the Sheikh Zayed Chair for Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

According to National News Agency – Lebanon, the Beirut Art Review aims to fill a significant gap in Lebanon’s cultural and academic landscape by offering a platform for reflective, critically engaged, and theoretically informed writing on art. It is committed to enhancing the understanding of the art world locally, regionally, and within the diaspora.

Dr. Joseph Hammond, assistant professor at the Department of Fine Arts and Art History at AUB and editor of the journal, emphasized the importance of this initiative. He described it as “an important step in supporting scholarship and criticism from the region about the region,” expressing hopes that it will serve as a venue for critical dialogue on pressing conversations in the art and histories of the region.

Beirut Art Review is open to submissions in both English and Arabic and covers various categories, including exhibition and art film reviews, long-form articles on historical or theoretical aspects of regional art, and dialogues such as interviews and response essays. These contributions are intended to encourage and facilitate public discourse on art within the region.

Each article in the journal is accompanied by high-quality imagery, and the publication follows a rolling model to ensure timely, accessible, and rigorous content. It targets artists, curators, collectors, academics, students, and engaged readers across the region.