Afif Bahnassi (Arabic: ùÃÂÃÂàçÃÂèÃÂÃÂóÃÂ; 17 April 1928 â 2 November 2017) was a Syrian art historian, museum director and academic, regarded as one of the founders of modern Arab and Islamic art history. He served as Director of Fine Arts in the Syrian Ministry of Culture from 1962 to 1971 and as Director-General of Antiquities and Museums from 1971 to 1989. He authored more than seventy-five books on art history, aesthetics, and Islamic architecture, and was a professor at the University of Damascus for over five decades.
Bahnassi was born in Damascus, Syria, on 17 April 1928, in the Al-Shuhada (Al-Sabki) district. He earned a teacherâÂÂs college certificate and a degree in law with a diploma in administrative sciences from the University of Damascus in 1950. He later studied fine arts under André Lhote and art history at the ÃÂcole du Louvre in Paris. In 1964 he received a PhD in art history from the Sorbonne, followed by a Doctorat dâÂÂÃÂtat in the philosophy of art in 1978, both with highest distinction. He was married to Maysoun Al Jazairi, and has 5 children: Ayad, Anas, Yola, Kinan, and Omar Bahnassi.
From 1962 to 1971 Bahnassi served as the first Director of Fine Arts in the Syrian Ministry of Culture, establishing the Department of Fine Arts and supporting the creation of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Damascus. He was appointed Director-General of Antiquities and Museums in 1971, a post he held until 1989, overseeing heritage policy, restoration, and museum development throughout Syria. He also taught art and architectural history at the University of Damascus, where he was a long-time professor in the Faculties of Fine Arts, Architecture, and Arts and Humanities.
Bahnassi founded or helped establish several cultural and academic institutions, including:
Between the 1960s and 1980s he supervised the creation or renovation of more than seventeen museums, among them the National Museum of Damascus, the Aleppo Museum of Modern Art, and regional museums in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Suwayda, Hama, Lattakia, and Bosra. He also oversaw the design of national memorials including the Martyrsâ Memorial and the October War Panorama in Damascus.
Bahnassi lectured at universities and cultural centres across the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Asia. His lectures included visits to Harvard University, MIT, UCLA, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Paris (Sorbonne), University of Rome, the University of Tokyo, the American University of Sharjah, and others.
From 1971 to 1988 he was Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Syrian Archaeology and Art. He also sat on the editorial board of Moukaruas (Aga Khan Foundation, Boston) and was honorary editor of Art (London) and LâÂÂà Âil (Switzerland). Between 1960 and 1988 he produced and presented cultural radio and television programmes such as *Syria Today* and *Art and Culture* for Syrian Radio and TV.
Trained under André Lhote, Bahnassi produced paintings and bronze sculptures, exhibiting nationally and internationally. His public sculptures in Damascus include representations of al-Jahiz, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn al-Nafis, al-Kindi, Zaki al-Arsuzi, and Queen Zenobia. He designed official emblems for cultural institutions such as the Supreme Council for Science, the City of Damascus, the Fine Arts Syndicate, and Syrian Radio and Television, and contributed to the design of postage stamps (1960âÂÂ1983) and banknotes (1973âÂÂ1999).
Bahnassi authored more than seventy-five books and numerous scholarly articles in Arabic, English, French, and Italian. His writings cover art theory, Islamic architecture, aesthetics, and Syrian heritage. Selected works include:
Bahnassi received numerous national and international decorations for cultural and scientific merit, including:
He also received the Gold Medal of Fine Arts (Syria, 1963), a Gold Medal from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia (1987), and the First Prize in Islamic Art from the Organisation of Islamic Capitals and Cities (1991).
Bahnassi is widely regarded as one of the most influential Arab scholars of art history in the twentieth century. Through his leadership in museums, education, and scholarship, he helped shape the intellectual and institutional framework for studying Arab-Islamic art and architecture. His works continue to be cited in UNESCO publications and Arabic art curricula.