Michigan State University's Broad Art Museum is presenting "Nabil Kanso: Echoes of War," the first Michigan exhibition of the Lebanese-American artist's work. On view through June 29, the show spans over four decades of Kanso's large-scale, expressive paintings that document the human toll of war, including works addressing the Lebanese Civil War, the Gulf War, and the Syrian conflict. Curated by Rachel Winter in collaboration with the Nabil Kanso Estate and professor Salah Hassan, the exhibition features "Scorching Sparks" (1980s), a painting never before publicly exhibited. Winter first encountered Kanso's work in 2022 and worked with his family to bring the show to fruition, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Lebanese Civil War and Arab American Heritage Month.
This exhibition matters because it brings visibility to an Arab American artist whose work has been largely absent from U.S. cultural narratives, while addressing urgent themes of displacement, grief, and survival that resonate with contemporary global conflicts. By situating Kanso's personal experience as a refugee within broader historical contexts, the show offers a powerful counterpoint to mainstream art historical canons and affirms the museum's commitment to engaging Arab and Arab American audiences. The inclusion of a never-before-seen work and the collaboration with the artist's estate underscore the growing institutional recognition of diasporic and war-affected artists.