Issam al-Said (1938-1988) was a distinguished Iraqi painter, print-maker, designer, etcher, architect, philosopher and author who completed several major public buildings in Baghdad and in London.

Life and career

Issam al-Said was born in Baghdad in 1938 into an influential family. He was the second son of Iraqi parents, Sabah Nuri al-Said and Esmat Ali Pasha Fahmi (who was of Egyptian ancestry) and the grandson of

Nuri al-Said Nuri Pasha al-Said CH (December 1888 – 15 July 1958) ( ar, نوري السعيد) was an Iraqi politician during the British mandate in Iraq and the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. He held various key cabinet positions and served eight terms a ...

Pasha (Iraq's Prime Minister, 1930–58). As an adult, his older brother, Falah, was the personal pilot to

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of ...

. Both his father and grand-father were brutally killed during the 1958 revolution. He studied architecture at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, graduating in 1961 and also studied at the Hammersmith College of Art and Design, London in 1962-4. He began preparing for a PhD on the Methodology of Geometric Proportioning in Islamic Architecture at the

University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick univer ...

in 1988, but died in London of a heart attack before he could complete it. The work was published posthumously.

Work

He was a versatile artist who, in addition to major public buildings completed in London and Baghdad, also designed furniture including lamps, carpets, tiles, furniture, etc. From the 1960s, he began incorporating kufi script into his artworks, thereby joining the growing ranks of hurufiyya artists developing this style in the Middle East and North Africa in the 1950s and 60s. His artworks are held in international collections, both private and public, including prestigious art museums such as: The

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

(London),

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

(MOMA), New York; National Museum of Modern Art (Baghdad) and the National Museum of Modern Art (Amman, Jordan).

Select list of architectural works

* Central Mosque, London, 1976-77 * Islamic Cultural Centre, London, 1976–77 * Aloussi Mosque, Baghdad, 1982–83 * Al-Aboud Mosque, Baghdad, 1984

Select list of paintings

* ''Head of Christ,'' watercolour, pen, ink & oil on paper on board, 25x16cm, c. 1959 * ''Sodom and Gomorrah,'' 1962 * ''Medinat al Hub,'' Oil on canvas 102x153cm 1963 (Inspired by

Nazik Al-Malaika Nazik al-Malaika ( ar, نازك الملائكة; 23 August 1923 – 20 June 2007) was an Iraqi poet. Al-Malaika is noted for being among the first Arabic poets to use free verse. Early life and career Al-Malaika was born in Baghdad to a cultu ...

's poem Medinat al-Hub) * ''Geometric Multiples,'' enamel on aluminium, 1979 * '' At the Door,'' made of prints, 1979 * ''Wa la Ghaliba illa Allah,'' 1962-1974 * ''Allah al-Kalima ,'' Mixed media and oil on canvas, 50x50cm, 196 * ''Kufic IV,'' date unknown * ''Three Women,'' aquatinta etching, date unknown

Publications

* ''Islamic Art and Architecture: The System of Geometric Design,'' 1993 (published posthumously and based on his PhD dissertation) * ''Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art,''World of Islam Festival, London, 1976 (co-authored with A. Parman)

Legacy

He is the subject of the book, ''Issam El-Said: Artist and Scholar'' by Samir Chorbachi Published by Issam El-Said Foundation, 1989 (two editions in English and Arabic)Sinclair, S. (ed.), ''Bibliography of Art and Architecture in the Islamic World,'' BRILL, 2012, p.654

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Said, Issam al 20th-century Iraqi painters Artists from Baghdad Iraqi architects Iraqi calligraphers Iraqi designers Iraqi contemporary artists 1938 births 1988 deaths