Born in Rachana, Lebanon in 1921, Michel Basbous studied sculpture at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, then at the Ecole Superieure des Beaux- Arts, Paris. He also studied sculpture under Zadkine at the Grande Ecole de la Chaumiere in Paris.

His work was shown in solo exhibitions in Beirut and he participated in a number of group exhibitions in Beirut, Paris, Leningrad, Kiev and Alexandria.

Basbous was granted the first sculpture award at the Sursock Museum in 1968.

In 1958, he settled in his village Rachana and transformed it into an artistic center, holding international symposia on sculpture. His monumental sculptures are found in the yard of his museum.