Gilbert Halaby, born in 1979, who grew up in Lebanon and studied in Beirut, has drawn and painted since he was a child. Captivated by the beauty of the natural landscape in Mount Lebanon, he would spend long hours playing in the woods amid the olive and pine trees – signal natural forms which to this day influence and play a profound role in his art.

His aesthetic eye first drew him to the artistry of fashion. After studying archaeology at the Lebanese University in Beirut, he went to Rome and was instantly captivated, calling that first encounter un coup de foudre.

In 2003, he moved to the Eternal City and opened a jewelry and handbag store near the Pantheon. In 2010, the Maison Halaby brand launched its first women’s collection; in 2016 Halaby opened his accessories boutique of specially made leather handbags at Via di Monserrato 21. As much a cultural salon as a boutique, where the artist keeps a library of contemporary and historic authors and philos- ophers and entertains his friends, it has become a global cult destination.

But with art as his first love (and clearly a talent his clients appreciated: the paint- ings and watercolours he hung on the boutique’s walls were swiftly bought up, and more requested), much of his time is now spent painting at his studio, a few steps away from the maison on Via di Monserrato 123.

Entirely self-taught as a painter, Halaby’s style has been honed over the past six years, in which he has dedicated himself every day to painting in his studio.