Born in Homs, Syria in 1939, Ghassan Sebai studied oil painting at the University of Alexandria, Egypt and continued to train in the visual arts with a specialization in engraving at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Paris, from which he graduated in 1970. In 1974 he returned to Syria where he taught engraving in at the University of Damascus until 2002 and was an active member of the art scene.