ARC Condemns Killing of Lebanese Artist Ali Sbeity
Lebanon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 March 2026
[New York & Paris] –
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is outraged by the killing of Lebanese painter Ali Sbeity, from the southern village of Kafra, who was killed yesterday in an Israeli attack on Lebanon, as confirmed by his family. ARC calls on the Israeli government to immediately halt attacks on civilians in Lebanon. Artists are civilians. Their lives, like those of all civilians, must never be treated as expendable.
“Ali Sbeity painted the South of Lebanon not as a landscape, but as a living memory, of loss, resilience, and quiet beauty. His work carried the texture of the land and the weight of those who remain rooted in it. His killing is not only a devastating loss for his family and community, but part of a broader pattern in which artists and cultural workers are killed, displaced, or silenced in contexts of conflict. When artists are lost, entire histories and cultural lifelines are extinguished. At a time when cultural voices are already under immense pressure, his death is a stark reminder that artists are often among the first to bear the cost of violence—and among the most essential to preserving what must not be forgotten”, said Julie Trébault, executive director of ARC – Artists at Risk Connection.
Ali Sbeity’s work stands as a powerful testament to the lived realities of southern Lebanon, documenting the human experience of life under persistent threat of violence. His paintings reflect how artistic practice can serve as both witness and form of resistance.
Across Lebanon and the broader region, artists continue to work under increasingly precarious conditions, navigating instability, displacement, and the destruction of cultural infrastructure. In such contexts, the loss of an artist is not only the loss of an individual voice. It is the loss of cultural memory, of perspective, and of the capacity to imagine and document alternative futures.
The protection of artists and cultural workers is not peripheral, it is central to the protection of human rights, cultural heritage, and freedom of expression. Failure to act in the face of such losses risks normalizing the erasure of cultural voices and weakening the very foundations of democratic and open societies.
About ARC
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Julie Trébault
Executive Director
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection
+1 646.860.5446
jtrebault@artistsatriskconnection.org