Marwan Sahmarani was born in 1970 and currently lives and works in Beirut. He studied at l'École Supérieur d'Art  Graphique in Paris.

Sahmarani focuses on oil and watercolour painting and his work draws on both his Western education and knowledge of the East, bringing together influences of European Renaissance masters and Islamic art and identity.

Sahmarani has exhibited in solo shows in Beirut, London, Montreal and Dubai, and has participated in group shows in America. He received the Abraaj Capital Art Prize in Dubai in 2010 for the work entitled The Feast of the Damned.