Su'ad Salim

Last updated
Su'ad Salim
Born
Hajj Su'ad Salim

1918 (1918)
Ankara, Turkey
Died2001
NationalityIraqi
Known for Painting

Sua'd Salim (b. Hajj Su'ad Salim, 1918, Ankara d. 2001, Iraq) was an Iraqi artist and cartoonist who is noted for designing the coat of arms for the Iraqi Republic along with other medals and badges of honour.

Contents

Life and career

Sua'd Salim was born in Ankara, Ottoman Empire in 1918 to Iraqi parents. [1]

His parents were both originally from Mosul in Northern Iraq, [2] but his father, Mohammed Hajji Selim, a military officer with the Ottoman army, had been stationed in Ankara at the time of his birth. [3] The family returned to Baghdad in the 1920s, when the children were relatively young. [4] His father was an amateur artist who later taught drawing to the children of King Ghazi. [5] His mother was an artist and a skilled embroiderer and his siblings, Jawad, Nizar and Naziha all became notable Iraqi artists in their own right. [6]

He grew up in the Haidarkhana district of Baghdad and was educated at the Ma’mouniyah Primary School, the Alsharqiya School and the College of Law. After graduating, he worked as a cartoonist for several Iraqi newspapers and magazines and also worked as an art teacher. In the 1940s, he left teaching and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [7]

He was actively involved in the Iraqi arts scene, was one of the founders of the Friends of Iraqi art, and regularly participated in its exhibitions. [8]

Personal life

He married Madiha, the sister of Abdul Jabbar Mahmoud, the personal pilot of King Ghazi. [9]

Work

He is credited with introducing colour into some of his caricatures appearing in newspapers and magazines. [10] However, he is noted for designing medals and badges of honour. His most significant designs include: [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jawad Saleem</span>

Jewad Selim (1919–1961) was an Iraqi painter and sculptor born in Ankara, Ottoman Empire in 1919. He became an influential artist through his involvement with the Iraqi Baghdad Modern Art Group, which encouraged artists to explore techniques that combined both Arab heritage and modern art forms. He is considered to be one of Iraq's greatest 20th-century sculptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suad al-Attar</span> Iraqi painter (born 1942)

Suad al-Attar is an Iraqi painter whose work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The British Museum and the Gulbenkian Collection. She has held over twenty solo exhibitions, including one in Baghdad that became the first solo exhibition in the country's history for a woman artist. Her many awards include the first prize at the International Biennale in Cairo in 1984 and an award of distinction at the Biennale held in Malta in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naziha Salim</span> Iraqi artist (1927–2008)

Naziha Salim was an Iraqi artist, educator and author, described by the country's president, Jalal Talabani, as "the first Iraqi woman who anchored the pillars of Iraqi contemporary art".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakir Hassan Al Said</span> Iraqi painter (1925–2004)

Shakir Hassan Al Said (1925–2004), an Iraqi painter, sculptor and writer, is considered one of Iraq's most innovative and influential artists. An artist, philosopher, art critic and art historian, he was actively involved in the formation of two important art groups that influenced the direction of post-colonial art in Iraq. He, and the art groups in which he was involved, shaped the modern Iraqi art movement and bridged the gap between modernity and heritage. His theories charted a new Arabic art aesthetic which allowed for valuations of regional art through lenses that were uniquely Arabic rather than Western.

Madiha Umar (1908 – 2005 in Aleppo) was an Iraqi artist who was known for incorporating calligraphy with abstract art. She is generally perceived as the first Arab artist to have done this. Therefore, she is seen as the precursor to the Hurufiyya movement. Also, Umar was the first woman to receive a scholarship from the Iraqi government to study in Europe. Today her grandson Dara Kittani manages her Estate Collection. To see more about Madiha Umar go to her official website www.madihaumar.com

Hanaa Malallah is an Iraqi artist and educator living in London, England. Her surname also appears in English as Mal-Allah. She is noted for developing the technique called the Ruins Technique in which found objects are incorporated into artwork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dia Azzawi</span> Iraqi painter and sculptor

Dia Al-Azzawi is an Iraqi painter and sculptor, now living and working in London, and one of the pioneers of modern Arab art. He is noted for incorporating Arabic script into his paintings. Active in the arts community, he founded the Iraqi art group known as New Vision and has been an inspiration to a generation of young, calligraffiti artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi art</span>

Iraqi art is one of the richest art heritages in world and refers to all works of visual art originating from the geographical region of what is present day Iraq since ancient Mesopotamian periods. For centuries, the capital, Baghdad was the Medieval centre of the literary and artistic Arab world during the Abbasid Caliphate, in which Baghdad was the capital, but its artistic traditions suffered at the hands of the Mongol invaders in the 13th century. During other periods it has flourished, such as during the reign of Pir Budaq, or under Ottoman rule in the 16th century when Baghdad was known for its Ottoman miniature painting. In the 20th century, an art revival, which combined both tradition and modern techniques, produced many notable poets, painters and sculptors who contributed to the inventory of public artworks, especially in Baghdad. These artists are highly regarded in the Middle East, and some have earned international recognition. The Iraqi modern art movement had a profound influence on pan-Arab art generally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khaled al-Rahal</span> Iraqi painter and sculptor (1926–1987)

Khaled Al-Rahal was an Iraqi painter and sculptor and one of the leaders of the modern art movement in Iraq. Described as one of the "pillars of modern Iraqi art," he was responsible for executing a number of high-profile public monuments in Baghdad in the mid-20th century.

Miran al-Saadi was an Iraqi sculptor noted for producing monumental works for Baghdad's public spaces and for developing "in the field sculpture."

Lorna Beryl Selim was an English artist and art teacher, who married prominent Iraqi sculptor Jewad Selim, relocating to Baghdad with him in 1950. She was a practising artist for much of her life up until her death. Selim contributed to the arts community in Iraq through her exhibitions, teaching and active participation in arts groups for twenty years. After her husband's premature death in 1961, she was part of the team responsible for completing his iconic monumental work, entitled Nasb al-Hurriyah.

Mun'im Furat (1900-1972) was an Iraqi primitive artist, noted for his sculptures resembling Sumerian statuary. His style was very distinctive and he was the only Iraqi artist to produce works in the naive style.

Salim al-Dabbagh is an Iraqi painter and installation artist noted for abstract work that references Iraqi traditions. He was one of the founders of the Innovationists Group; an artists' collective that helped to shape modern art in Iraq and was the Head of the Graphic Department at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad from 1971 to 2000.

Mohammed Hajji Selim (1883-1941) was among the first generation of modern Iraqi artists to receive a European arts education. He was a talented amateur artist who produced still lifes, landscapes and portraits, most of which have not survived. He is mainly remembered as the patriarch of an artistic dynasty and as the father of the distinguished sculptor, Jawad Saleem.

Kadhim Haydar (1932–1985) was a highly respected Iraqi artist, poet, author, stage-set designer and educator who, as part of the first generation of modern Iraqi artists, had a major influence on the direction of modern Iraqi art. His artworks are noted for their use of symbolism, myth and poetic allegory within a contemporary framework.

Saleh al-Jumai'e is an Iraqi artist noted for his works that explore the notion of tracks left by ancient heritage. His works often integrate Arabic calligraphy in an abstract artwork.

Issa Hanna Dabish (1919-2006), simply known as Issa Hanna, was an Iraqi artist and restorer of antiquities, noted for silkscreen works. Along with Akram Sukri, he was instrumental in founding Iraq's first modern art association in 1941.

Asim Hafidh (Arabic: عاصم حافظ, was an Iraqi artist, educator and writer. He was amongst the first Iraqi artists to study painting in the European style and was part of a group known as the Ottoman artists who were credited with bringing easel painting to Iraq. He is noted for publishing the first Iraqi book on fine art, entitled Rules for Drawing from Nature.

Mohammed Saleh Zaki (1888-1974), also known as Abu Zaid, was an Iraqi artist and one of the first generation of Iraqi painters to be trained in Western painting methods. Part of a group of artists, known as the Ottomans, he and his contemporaries were credited with bringing a European aesthetic to Iraqi art and encouraging a generation of local contemporary artists.

References

  1. Ministry of Culture (Iraq Ministry of Culture, Culture and Arts in Iraq: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the July 17–30 Revolution, Iraq, Ministry of Culture and Arts, 1978, p. 23; Ali, W., Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, University of Florida Press, 1997, p. 47; Some sources claim that he was born in Baghdad in 1918 (e.g. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337, however this seems unlikely since his father was stationed in Ankara until the early 1920s and his younger siblings, Jawad Saleem and Naziha Salim were all born in Ankara, Turkey.
  2. Shabout, N. (ed), A Century of Iraqi Art, Bonham's of London, 2015 [Illustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015
  3. Metcher-Atassi, S., "Munif's Interest in Modern Art, Friendship, Symbolic Exchange and the Art of the Book," The MIT Electronic Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Spring, 2007, pp 99-116
  4. Shabout, N. (ed), A Century of Iraqi Art, Bonham's of London, 2015 [Illustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015
  5. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  6. Ministry of Culture, Iraq, Culture and Arts in Iraq: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the July 17–30 Revolution, Iraq, Ministry of Culture and Arts, 1978, p. 23
  7. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  8. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  9. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  10. Ministry of Information, Iraq Contemporary Art, 1977, p. 49
  11. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337

Further reading

Bloom, J. and Blair, S.S. (eds), Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture, vol. 2, OUP, 2009, p. 290