Caricaturist Pierre Sadek, Dead at 75

Lebanese caricaturist Pierre Sadek died on Wednesday aged 75 after a battle with illness, the state-run National News Agency said.

Born in 1938 in Zahle, Sadek was a political caricaturist, whose drawings have been a daily staple in the An Nahar newspaper and on Lebanese public television screens.

Sadek was decorated with the National Cedar title of Knight during President Suleiman Franjieh’s mandate in 1972, and with the National Cedar title of Commandor in President Michel Suleiman's mandate and has obtained the poet of Said Akl's prize twice, and many more.

Sadek held various exhibitions in Lebanon and abroad the latest of which was the “Lyons” prize in 2000.

Various international magazines, newspapers and news agencies published his drawings including the Agence Presse, UPI, Time Magazine , Le Matin, France Soir, The Washington Post, Atlas Magazine and Jeune Afrique.

His caricature drawings were published and still are, in many daily newspapers including An Nahar, Al-Anwar, Al-Syassa, Al-Amal, Al-Joumhouria, Al-Diar, Al-Nahar Al-Arabi Wal Dowali.

He was the first caricaturist to have daily drawings on the television worldwide on LBCI from 1986 till 2002 and Future Television since 2002.

He has also founded the advertisement company “Atelier D’Art.”

In 1968, Sadek was tried in a military court for one of his infamous caricatures that appeared in An Nahar mocking the authenticity of the elections that were taking place during the mandate of President Charles Helou.