By: Rebecca Anne Proctor
5th August 2020 08:08 BST
Two powerful explosions at the Port of Beirut on early Tuesday evening left more than 70 people dead and over 4,000 injured. Initially, Lebanese state-run National News
Agency reported that a fire broke out near the Beirut Port. According to Lebanon’s Prime Minister, an investigation is underway concerning an estimated 2,750 tons of the
explosive ammonium nitrate that has been stored at the site for six years.
The damage rocked an already fragile Beirut to its core and wreaked havoc on the city’s
renowned art scene. Major art galleries, including Marfa Gallery, located close to
Beirut’s Port, and Galerie Tanit were completely destroyed. Galerie Tanit had hosted a
vernissage on Monday evening for the Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri’s solo exhibition
Remains of the Last Red Rose scheduled to be on view until 25 September. Opera
Gallery’s sleek Beirut branch, located in the city’s downtown district overlooking the
seafront, has also been decimated.
The blasts sent ripples of destruction throughout the city. Galerie Sfeir-Semler, located in the desolate district of Karantina, and Galerie Janine Rubeiz in the Raouché area, have also been damaged. “One of my employees is in intensive care and the gallery has been damaged,” said gallery owner Saleh Barakat. “We barely had the time to close the open vitrines to protect the artworks and are now in the hospital to be with our colleague.”

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/beirut-explosion