“I’m an art pragmatist. You need a balance.” Hashem Montasser talks to Caroline Louca about growing up around art, themes in his current collection, and how The Lighthouse fits in with his mission to support Arab artists.

The Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser

This week, we’re flipping the script. Art consultant Caroline Louca gets behind the host’s mic to chat with Hashem the art collector! As a long-time friend of Hashem’s, an art advisor, and former Managing Director of Christie’s Dubai, Caroline digs deep into Hashem’s passion for art. They talk about Hashem’s art enthusiast and academic mother, who exposed him to the world of art, how memories of Egypt’s bygone era continue to influence his collection, and why the introduction to seminal GCC artists such as Hassan Sharif was so pivotal to him.

Hashem and Caroline also discuss the evolution of The Lighthouse into a vibrant community hub that fosters connections between art-curious individuals and artists. And here’s a sneak peek: Hashem comes from art royalty, the father of modern Egyptian painting, Mahmoud Said, being his great granduncle.

Links

• Hashem Montasser tells Youssef el Deeb about his journey from Wall Street to building The Lighthouse

Artists & Designers on The Lighthouse Conversations:

• Maha Mahmoun
• Myrna Ayad
• Nada Debs
• Anoud Alzaben
• Vilma Jurkute, Alserkal Avenue
• Tarik Al-Zaharna
• Maya Allison
• Isabelle van den Eynde, Gallery IVDE
• David & Nicholas
• Cyril Zammit
• Bokja: Huda Baroudi & Maria Hibri
• Brendan McGetrick, Museum of the Future
• Sunny Rahbar, Third Line Gallery
• Meshary AlNasser
• Nakkash Gallery: Wajih, Aya & Omar Nakkash
• Elie Khouri