George H. Lewis

George H. Lewis is a painter and photographer whose studio is located in Chelsea, Manhattan. His work has been exhibited widely in the UK, Europe, US, and the Middle East and has been collected by the Sultan of Oman; Prince Hassan of Jordan; the Maharaja of Jodhpur, India; the designer Valentino, the English National Ballet; Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cornwall; the Royal Bank of Scotland; the World Trade Organization; and countless other individuals and organizations around the world.

He has lived throughout the Middle East including Oman, Kuwait, the UAE and among the nomadic Al Rashedi tribe in the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. His current work in New York City focuses on interfaith and intercultural themes, exploring the quality of empathy.

Early life

George Lewis grew up in the UK where he attended Radley College in Oxford and later went to Reading University where he studied international politics. He also studied at Padua University. His interest in politics, history and culture prompted him to use art as a means to express his concerns and possibly implement change.

Artistic career

Lewis was brought to Oman by one of his collectors, Brigadier Timothy Landon, and was invited to be an artist in residence under the auspices of Sheikh Ahmed Farid al Alaqui. He was then commissioned by the Sultan of Oman to paint for the royal court. Traveling extensively across the Middle East from 2007 to 2011, Lewis captured the great juxtapositions of the Arabian Peninsula and the CONTRAST between rural and urban development. His pictorial essays in the mediums of painting and photography aspire to provide insight and context for the social environments and cultural landscapes they denote.

Lewis has exhibited widely in acclaimed galleries and venues ranging from Doha to London, Muscat to New York and Abu Dhabi to Florida, with a collector base across Europe, the US and the Middle East, where his works can be found in many royal and private collections around the world. In 2010, Sotheby’s Auctioneers sold one of Lewis’s paintings at their Islamic show in Doha, Qatar. In 2011, 2012 and 2013 Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture of the UAE, hosted a number of exhibitions for Lewis in Abu Dhabi.

In all of his artistic endeavours, Lewis seeks to cultivate a culture of empathy and active listening among on a global scale. His artwork aims to challenge the perception of the “other,” and he carries this thread through in his speaking engagements, tutorials and myriad consulting projects.

Lewis also works closely with the Centre for Ethnic Racial and Religious Understanding (CERRU) in New York as well as Drew University's Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict (CRCC) in New Jersey. He also works closely with the Ibrahim Foundation particularly on their student exchange programs. Heavily involved in multiple intercultural and interfaith businesses and projects, Lewis regularly conducts workshops and lecture tours on these subjects, illustrating his points and message through his artwork. He also works closely with multinational corporations, institutions and governments to devise investment and development strategies with a cross-cultural and interfaith emphasis.

The Salon Project

The Salon Project was created in July 2014 by George H. Lewis. Structured after the French Salons of the 17th and 18th centuries, this project consists of a series of gatherings meant to enlighten the group as a whole. Lewis feels that we live in an era where conflict and fear seem to be ever-present around us, and conspire to keep us divided. In many respects, the current global culture has evolved to dismantle the inclusivity and trust inherent to community. This project CREATES the safe, collaborative space these complex times necessitate to rebuild our interconnectivity as a global peoples.

After holding gatherings in NYC in July and September 2014, The Salon Project will continue to meet across the globe during the upcoming year.

Artistic Philosophy

With The Salon Project, and all of his work, Lewis aims to capture the truth about all mankind: we are far more similar than we are different. He wants to incite an awakening within the individual towards empathy and respect, for he feels that if we can change ourselves, we can change the world.