About

Mahmoud Kahil was born in Tripoli, North Lebanon in 1936. He discovered a talent for caricature at a very young age and soon after starting his studies at the American University of Beirut, he changed paths and worked as a graphic designer in an advertising agency in Beirut.

young Mahmoud Kahil and his eldest sister

Kahil then joined the weekly magazine "Al Usbu Al-Arabi" as a layout designer where his first cartoons were published. He produced his early cartoons in the 1960s while working with various publications as an Art Director, but it was not until the early 1970s that he dedicated all his time to drawing editorial cartoons, mainly in colour, for Monday Morning.

Monday Morning magazine cover 1978

In 1967, Kahil, along with Farid Salman and Roro Breidi, began producing the ambitious and futuristic newsreel series Actualitees Libanaises exclusively for major cinemas in Hamra, Beirut.

The three artists would film the audience entering the cinemas, rush back to the lab, develop the footage, and screen the clips back to the audience before the film began. In producing the series, Kahil became the first cartoonist to draw live events for the audience on the big screen.

frame grab from Actualites Libanaises

Up until the outbreak of the civil war in Lebanon in 1975, Kahil published his work in several renowned publications, including The Daily Star. The war prevented him from pursuing his career as a cartoonist and in 1979 he left to London where he began working with Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab News and Al-Majalla magazine.

From London, Kahil reached global audiences with biting humour. During the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, some of his best drawings were exhibited to great acclaim.

Mahmoud Kahil drawing in his office in London

He developed a style where visuals were often more important than words, and many readers remember his scathing cartoons of Menachim Begin and Ariel Sharon. He was also known for the small black crow that appeared in his earlier cartoons as a symbol of Arab political disorder.

Kahil was at heart a humanist. His pen and paper were his solitary weapon in fighting oppression and wrongdoing. Mahmoud Kahil died unexpectedly at the age of 66 in London on 11 February 2003.