The Lebanese artist Huguette Caland (1931-2019) consistently defied the social and aesthetic expectations of her time during her almost fifty-year career. Her multifaceted life's work from three continents is the focus of the exhibition realized in cooperation with the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. With around 300 works, the show A LIFE IN A FEW LINES at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg from October 24, 2025 to April 26, 2026 opens up a new perspective on Caland's work. It focuses on her resistance to social and sexual norms and her approach to life between different cultures and places.
Caland's artistic life was shaped by her experiences in Beirut, free-spirited Paris and bohemian Venice, California. These places reflected the political, cultural and social currents of her time and had a lasting influence on her work. Her art - often sensual and bold - deals with themes such as community, urbanity, love, ageing and the search for identity.
Born in Beirut as the daughter of Bechara El-Khoury, the first president of Lebanon, she grew up in an elite political family, but decided early on to defy social expectations. Caland decided to marry Paul Caland, the nephew of one of her father's political rivals. During her marriage, she had a lover who frequently appeared in her works. In 1964, Caland enrolled at the American University in Beirut to study fine arts. In 1970, she decided to move to Paris, leaving her family and her lover behind to devote herself entirely to her art. She later settled in Venice, California. In 2013, she returned to Beirut, where she remained until her death.
Her works - colorful paintings, delicate drawings, sculptures and textiles - reflect a rebellious, life-affirming attitude that challenged conventions around beauty, desire and female identity. Caland's fascinating mixture of abstraction, figurative depictions and explicit erotic motifs was ahead of its time. Today, Caland is considered an icon of female emancipation and an inspiration for female artists worldwide. Her works can be found in the collections of well-known museums such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the British Museum and the Tate in London.