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Paul Guiragossian’s paintings are renowned for their ability to depict the complexities of the human condition. Particularly fond of women, at first glance Guiragossian’s subjects seem to move and yet seem suddenly static upon on longer inspection, fixed in time with thick layers of luminous paint. His figures are characteristically elongated, purged bodies, portrayed with a radiant palette. During his lifetime Guiragossian became Lebanon's most celebrated painter and upon his death in 1993, he received a state funeral.

The collector responsible for this stunning selection of works is Mrs. Irene McDonald, who lived in Saudi Arabia during the 1960s and 1970s. Irene met Paul Guiragossian at a solo exhibition in Beirut, where she and her husband had family. She was struck by the otherness of his silent figures and immediately acquired The Bride.

Of his earlier, less abstract paintings, Irene once commented, "Looking at some of them for the first time, one would catch one's breath at their sudden, sharp sense of aliveness. In the 40 plus years since then, no other 20th century paintings have had that effect on me. [Paul] did a great many drawings and sketches of me...I couldn't judge their resemblance to me, but I always noticed that they looked exactly the way I felt.”