Khalil Saleeby (1870-1928) is regarded as a master in early 20th century painting in Lebanon. His beguiling portraits, rendered in softened colours that mingle like mist on canvas, have made Saleeby a key modern figure in regional art. Maintaining this standing will only be bolstered as a huge collection of works is donated to Beirut's main university this week by a relative of the artist. The American University of Beirut has been given a collection of 60 paintings by Dr Samir Saleeby, of which 30 are works by Khalil. Housed in a private residence for the past 80 years, Saleeby says that making sure the Lebanese public get to see the rich context of local portraiture is what pushed him to hand the pieces over. "It was critical that the paintings be taken care of by a trusted and respected institution, and there was no better choice than the American University of Beirut," he said. "Khalil Saleeby himself studied at the Syrian Protestant College (which has since become AUB), so it is entirely appropriate that the university should become the custodian of this valuable art collection." In addition to Saleeby, the collection contains other luminaries from the history of Lebanese art, including Saliba Douaihy and Cesar Gemayal. Conservation of the entire collection is currently underway, and has been appraised by the auction house Sotheby's. AUB will begin a scholarly examination of Saleeby's works soon, and an expansion of the university will include a permanent art museum. "Not only will the collection enable a public art exhibition but it will also serve as a unique resource for students, researchers and art specialist," said Peter Dorman, AUB's president.