The University of Damascus is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine and the Institute of Law. Until 1958 it was named the Syrian University, but the name changed after the founding of the University of Aleppo. There are nine public universities and more than ten private ones in Syria. Damascus University was one of the most reputable universities in the Middle East before the war in Syria started in 2011.
Paresh Maity is an Indian painter. He is a prolific painter in a short career span.
Sara Shamma is a UK-based Syrian artist whose paintings are figurative in style. The importance of storytelling and narrative is paramount in her work. Shamma has a long-standing interest in the psychology associated with the suffering of individuals and has made work on the subject of war, modern slavery and human trafficking. Her works can be divided into series that reflect prolonged periods of research.
Omar Hamdi (1952–2015), known as Malva, was a Syrian Kurdish artist who lived and worked in Vienna, Austria.
Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai Arabic: وهبي الحريري آلرفاعي was a Syrian American artist who has often been called "the last of the classicists". As an artist he was remarkably prolific in the last years of his life despite a protracted and painful struggle with terminal cancer. He was also an accomplished architect, archaeologist, and author. His artwork has garnered international recognition and praise both in his lifetime and posthumously.
Diana al-Hadid is a Syrian-born American contemporary artist who creates sculptures, installations, and drawings using various media. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Abdul Rahman Mowakket is a contemporary sculptor from Syria.
Roland Khoury (1930—1988) was a Syrian painter.
Kamal Amin Awad (1923–1979) was a pioneering Egyptian artist in the field of graphic arts. The artist, whose masterpieces and unique techniques impressed Egyptian modern art, was born in Tanta in 1923. He was interested in teaching his students about the modern techniques applied by schools abroad. However, he was keen to make use of the talents of his ancient forerunners in view of Egypt's rich Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic and Folk arts. Accordingly, he succeeded in a unique style in his works. The artist's versatility helped him to work as a photographer, a sculptor, and an illustrator. He received the First Class Award of Art and Science in 1974.
Mahmoud Hammad was a Syrian painter and pioneer of modern Syrian art.
Yuri Kosin Ukrainian: Косін Юрій Олекса́ндрович is a Ukrainian photographer, lecturer, curator of exhibitions, and traveler. Kosin is a member of the National Society of Photo Artists of Ukraine, tutor and curator at the Independent Academy of the Photographic Arts of Ukraine, organizer and curator of the "Eksar" photo gallery, Ukraine. He is also a member of the "Kulturforum" association and the artistic studio "Kulturwerkstatt Trier", Germany. He is a permanent member of the TV Ukrainian program "Svoimi ochima" (eyewitness) dedicated to travel and tourism. Kosin was named one of the experts in photography criticism in Ukraine in expert poll conducted in 2011
Volodya Margaryan known as Valmar, is an Armenian painter. People's artist of the Republic of Armenia (2015).
Madiha Umar (1908 – 2005 in Aleppo) is an Iraqi artist who is known for incorporating calligraphy with abstract art. She is generally perceived as the first Arab artist to have done this. Therefore, she is seen as the precursor to the Hurufiyya movement. Also, Umar was the first female to receive a scholarship from the Iraqi government to study in Europe. Today her grandson Dara Kittani manages her Estate Collection. To see more about Madiha Umar go to her official website www.madihaumar.com
Khaled Akil born 1986 in Aleppo is a Syrian artist based in Istanbul. Akil is a self-taught artist who works with different art mediums. He is best known for his photography series Pokémon Go in Syria
The Syrian Cultural Caravan is an artistic and cultural movement led by Syrian artists. Started in 2014 as a project called "Freedom for the Syrian People", it took the form of a road trip, taking off from France and continuing across Europe. In face of the success met in 2014, the project became a movement entitled the "Syrian Cultural Caravan". The project aims at bringing a wide diversity of artists together around a multi-format exhibition mixing paintings, photographs, dance, music, film screenings, as well as debates and the sharing of food. The goal of the project is "to promote Syrian civil society and contemporary Syrian art and culture" by debunking the public's expectations. Artists create a platform for debate on which they can offer their own narrative to counterweight the mainstream narrative of the media.
Heiner Thiel is a German sculptor and curator. He is an exponent of concrete art.
Khachik Abrahamyan, is an Armenian artist. Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Member of the International Artists’ Association of UNESCO, President of the "Center of Armenian Artists", Honorary President of the "Foundation for the Armenian Fine Arts", Full Member (Academician) of the European Academy of Natural Sciences.
Michael Post is a German painter, Object artist and curator. He is an exponent of concrete art.
Aula Al Ayoubi, born in 1973 in Damascus, is a Syrian painter and visual artist.
Ammar Abd Rabbo is a French-Syrian journalist and photographer, born in Damascus on October 13, 1966.
