Najwa
A Life of Grace, Strength, and Devotion
Born in 1946 into a respected family, Najwa was the daughter of prominent Cheikh Bahige Takieddine of Baakline, in the Chouf District of Mount Lebanon. A woman of intellect and poise, she pursued her education at the Beirut College for Women —known today as the Lebanese American University (LAU) — where she earned a Master’s degree in Political Science.
Najwa married Farid El-Rayes in 1973, and together they built a life defined by partnership, resilience, and shared purpose. She stood beside him as he forged a successful career as an engineer, including his professional chapter in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s and 1980s. Amidst the turbulence of the Lebanese civil war, Najwa balanced family life across Beirut, Ferney-Voltaire (France), and Montreal (Canada). The family eventually returned to Lebanon in 1991.
Najwa’s role became even more profound when Farid was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1993, a condition he battled for two decades until his passing in 2013. Through the long and often difficult journey, Najwa remained his constant source of care and dignity. With patience and unwavering love, she ensured that both his art and their family bonds remained alive even as memory and clarity faded.
Beyond being a devoted wife and caregiver, Najwa was also Farid’s most vocal champion and artistic confidante. She played a major role in his exhibitions in Basel, Geneva, New York, and Beirut. With insight and passion, she celebrated the themes of beauty and harmony in his paintings and encouraged him to express emotion and elegance through his brush. Her presence was not only supportive but instrumental in elevating and preserving Farid’s artistic legacy.
Najwa El-Rayes’s life is a tribute to quiet strength, intellectual depth, and a profound commitment to love, art, and family. She remains an inseparable part of Farid El-Rayes’s story—both on and beyond the canvas.
Farid's eldest brother,
AREF EL RAYES
Born in Aley, Lebanon, in 1928, Aref El Rayes began painting at the age of eleven. From an early age, the bond between the two brothers was profound. Aref made several artistic contributions to Farid’s engineering projects, while Farid’s artworks received unwavering support from his older brother.
Aref Rayess, pastel on velvet paper
To my mother, Latifeh
Aref Rayess, pastel on velvet paper
To Farid, my brother
Aref Rayess, pastel on velvet paper
Painted in the atelier of Farid
RIAD EL RAYES
Farid's older brother
Riad Al Rayes was born in Aley (Lebanon). He graduated from the National University, then from Oklahoma State University in the United States of America, a branch of political science, specializing in development and planning issues.
He was also heading the Planning and Development Group, which is headquartered in Beirut and includes a group of Arab specialists and experts in various branches related.
He worked as a political attaché at the Arab League mission in New York, and in the Ministry of Design in Lebanon with the IRFED mission at the Development Training Institute.
He also worked in a number of international organizations and held several key positions in the regional bodies of the United Nations, including:
- Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Head of the United Nations Social Center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- The General Conference of Resident Representatives of the United Nations held in Delhi.
He held the position of rotating governor at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He was appointed as a first advisor for planning and development affairs to the Sultan of Oman and held positions branching from this position, from which he later resigned.
He worked at the American University of Beirut as Principal Investigator in the Middle East Program and worked as an Assistant Professor in the Science Branch at the University of Oklahoma.
But most notably, Riad developed a set of studies and research published in the United States and Europe or submitted to academic and scientific institutions, and some of these studies were published in Lebanon or submitted to responsible institutions there.
Farid's Sister,
Salma El Rayes
Salma, Farid's sister, lived in London and entertained a very close relationship with her brothers. She too was an artist and art lover. Salma held many art exhibitions across the globe and is recognized for her sculptures and figurative paintings.
