Michel Tamer - Equine Artist

It was summer, and I was 3 years old at my grandmother’s house in the mountains of Lebanon, where my family gathered during the warm season. What I experienced there would define the course of my life forever.

I remember sitting on the kitchen stoop when I heard hoof beats. I turned to see a rider on a magnificent white horse, its mane and tail flowing in the warm breeze. I was mesmerized.

When they disappeared from view, I rushed inside and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. That day, I drew my first horse. The excitement I felt has haunted me since, shaping my path as an artist and a performing rider in dressage and showjumping events.

Drawing horses led me to research about them, visiting nearby racehorse stables as a child, watching the care they received. I frequented bookshops, collecting any books that captured my interest, including Franco-Belgian comic strips rich in western themes. I discovered artists like Jean Gillain, known as Jijé, and his assistant Jean Giraud, who captured equine anatomy with remarkable skill. Their work inspired my own, and I became an unconditional user of the brush.

Thanks to these influences, I developed a deep interest in horses' history and the gear surrounding them—saddles, rifles, and more. My fascination with accuracy led me to magazines filled with historical imagery

Then, as I grew older, I began to draw sports cars. It was the mid to late 60s, and the streets of Beirut were alive with muscle cars. I found joy in drawing vehicles, yet the call of the wild, open spaces—filled with horses—remained strong.

At 19, my parents sent me to the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles as a Transportation Design Major. But soon, I realized I didn’t want to draw cars anymore. The allure of the West, with its wild horses and cowboys, pulled me in. I sought to depict those vast, adventurous landscapes.

Before classes began, I met with the admission officer and switched my focus to illustration, bringing a sketchbook filled with horse drawings. She smiled at my work and accepted me into the program.

I studied for four years and, after graduating in 1976, returned to Lebanon as a storyboard artist at Leo Burnett. Despite a successful career, I maintained my passion for art, painting, drawing, and sculpting, which led to my first exhibits in Paris.

As time passed, my artistic drive intensified. In 2014, I sold my advertising agency to dedicate myself fully to my art. Recently, I completed a large body of work reflecting on the Kalevala and have embarked on a new project centered around legendary horses.

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‘What characterizes my approach to art is my constant call to challenge my acquired skills. I refuse the temptation to rest on my technical draftsmanship laurels. Questioning how I look at things, allows me to understand everything that surrounds me with novelty. That’s what I aim to achieve on the canvas.’