Yazan Halwani

His murals can be found on buildings across Beirut, and often depict portraits of important Lebanese and Middle Eastern figures.

Halwani, a graduate of American University of Beirut and Harvard Business School,[1] started painting to protest against Lebanon's traditionally-sectarian politics and the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

[2] His art celebrates Lebanon's unique cultural heritage and the creation of a unified national identity of secularism.

[5] Yazan subsequently evolved his style to paint images, words and letters that have an oriental touch and inspiration.

His biggest murals is a full building painted with the portrait of Lebanese singer Sabah at the heart of Hamra, Beirut, on a building that housed before the Lebanese Civil War the Horseshoe cafe, a popular hangout for Arab artists and writers such as Paul Guiragossian, Nizar Qabbani and Mahmoud Darwish.