Jewad Selim (1919–1961) ( ar, جواد سليم) 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.

Life and career

Jawad Saleem was born in Ankara, Ottoman Empire into a middle-class family. His parents were both originally from Mosul in Northern Iraq,Shabout, N. (ed), ''A Century of Iraqi Art,'' Bonham's of London, 2015 llustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015 and his father, Mohammed Hajji Selim was a military officer who had been stationed in Ankara at the time of Saleem's birth, but returned to Baghdad in the 1920s, when the children were relatively young. His father was an amateur artist, his mother was an artist and a skilled embroiderer and his brothers, Saud and Nizarre along with his sister, Naziha Salim all became artists. Jawad Saleem studied sculpture in Paris (1938-1939) on a scholarship, but his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of war. He relocated to Rome (1939-1940), but again his studies were interrupted by war, forcing him to return to Baghdad. At war's end, he enrolled at the Slade School, London (1946-1948), where he was heavily influenced by Western artists such as Pablo Picasso and

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi- abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced ...

. In England, he met an artist, Lorna, a native of Sheffield, and the pair were married in 1950. During the hiatus in his studies, Saleem was employed at the Directorate of Antiquities in Baghdad between 1940–1945 and was appointed head of the Sculpture Department at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, a position he retained until his death in 1961. His work exposed him to Iraq's ancient art traditions, and he consciously sought to discover the possibilities of combining ancient motifs with within the modern abstract art he had observed in Europe. His wife, Lorna Saleem, noted that he was fascinated with ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian sculptures. She explained: He is generally credited with being the first Iraqi artist to draw on his heritage and guide local artists towards a distinctly Iraqi style. Iraq in the 1930s had few art museums or galleries. Accordingly, Saleem's first solo exhibition was held in the private home of prominent Iraqi architect,

Mohamed Makiya Mohamed Makiya (Mohammed Saleh Makiya 1914-2015) ( ar, محمد مكية) was an Iraqi architect and one of the first Iraqis to gain formal qualifications in architecture. He is noted for establishing Iraq's first department of architecture at ...

. In 1944, he was invited to work with historical masterpieces and to assist archaeologists in any restoration work that was necessary. These encounters with ancient heritage fostered a strong sense of pride in Iraq's ancient art heritage and questions about the nexus between 'heritage' and 'contemporary' art which would preoccupy the artist and philosopher for the rest of his working life.Stone, P.G. and Bajjaly, J.G., ''The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq,'' Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2008, p. 293 In 1951, he gave a public lecture in which he spoke critically and bitterly about public taste in Iraq. For this, Saleem became known as an 'enemy of the people.' Yet within two decades, Saleem was praised by the Iraqi elite and his reputation was mythologised by poets and writers.Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., ''The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq,'' University of California Press, 1991, p. 80 He was one of the founders of the ''Jama'et Baghdad lil Fen al-Hadith'' ( The Baghdad Modern Art Group, founded in 1951) with fellow artist

Shakir Hassan Al Said Shakir Hassan Al Said ( ar, شاكر حسن ال سعيد) (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 act ...

and

Mohammed Ghani Hikmat Mohammad Ghani Hikmat (April 20, 1929 – September 12, 2011) ( ar, محمد غني حكمت) was an Iraqi sculptor and artist credited with creating some of Baghdad's highest-profile sculptures and monuments and was known as the "sheik of sculpt ...

(1929-2011); a group which attempted to combine ancient Iraqi art traditions with modern European techniques. The group's mantra, was ''istilham al-turath'' – seeking inspiration from tradition. Saleem, along with al-Said and other members of the Modern Baghdad group were inspired by the 13th-century

Baghdad School The Baghdad School, also known as the Arab school, was a relatively short-lived yet influential school of Islamic art developed during the late 12th century in the capital Baghdad of the ruling Abbasid Caliphate. The movement had largely died o ...

and the work of ancient calligraphers and illustrators such as Yahya Al-Wasiti who was active in Baghdad in the 1230s. They believed that the Mongol invasion of 1258 represented a "break in the chain of pictorial Iraqi art" and wanted to recover lost traditions. After the death of Saleem in 1961, al-Said headed the group. This group accomplished a great deal in terms of popularising modern art by giving Iraqis a sense of national pride in their ancient art heritage. Saleem first came to the attention of international audiences in 1952 when his competition entry, ''The Unknown Political Prisoner'' was one of 80 selected out of 3,500 entries for exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London and was the only Arab artist to be included in the exhibition. The following year he toured the United States and his work was well received.Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., ''The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq,'' University of California Press, 1991, p. 95 Although he worked both as a painter and sculptor, he always had misgivings about practising both simultaneously. Towards the end of the 1950s, he made the decision to focus exclusively on sculpture. In 1959, shortly after Iraq gained independence, Saleem was commissioned by the new leader of the republic, Brigadier General 'Abd al-Karim Qasim to create a monument for the city centre that would be a celebration to Iraq's declaration of independence. It was to be situated in the heart of Baghdad's central business district, overlooking Liberation Square and Jamhouriyya Bridge. The sculptor understood that the monument would need to be a symbol of a new world, and designed a work that was a narrative of the 1958 revolution, but that also paid homage to Iraq's deep art history by including Abbasid and Babylonian wall-reliefs, producing a sculpture that was both "strikingly modern" yet also referenced tradition. Joad salem

Saleem laboured on the project under difficult conditions, resisting all attempts by Qasim to have his image incorporated. Initially, Saleem had wanted the sculpture to be at ground level, but the architect, Rifa'at Chadirchi insisted that it be elevated so that it would look more 'monumental'. As a result, the completed work faces the busy traffic rather than people walking in the adjacent gardens. Although the monument was Saleem's design, he did not see it through to completion; following his premature death, the project was completed in 1961 by Saleem's friend,

, who had previously been assisting on the project by casting the bronze figures.Greenberg, N., "Political Modernism, Jabrā, and the Baghdad Modern Art Group," ''CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture,'' Vol. 12, No. 2, 2010, Online: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1603&context=clcweb, DOI: 10.7771/1481-4374.160; Floyd, T., "Mohammed Ghani Hikmat," iographical Notesin: ''Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Islamic World,'' Online: http://www.encyclopedia.mathaf.org.qa/en/bios/Pages/Mohammed-Ghani-Hikmat.aspx The completed monument, known as ''Nasb al-Hurriyah'' ( "Monument of Freedom"), has survived various attempts to have it pulled down and is one of Baghdad's most iconic public works. Saleem is credited as being the most influential artist in Iraq's modern art movement and is said to have brought a 'modern vision' to Iraq. The Iraqi intellectual, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra wrote of him: Saleem suffered a heart attack and died in the Republican Hospital on 23 January 1961 aged 42 years. His wife, Lorna was with him, and he was surrounded by his friends from the arts community;

Hafidh al-Droubi Hafidh Al Droubi (1914-1991) was an Iraqi painter and draughtsman, noted for his Cubist paintings and for his approach to professionalising Iraqi art education in the early to mid 20th-century. He was a prolific painter, an important artist in t ...

, Ismail al-Sheikhli, Said Shaker, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Bahir Faeq, Salem Damluji and Khalid Al-Qasab as well as his former student and colleague,

Khaled al-Rahal Khaled Al-Rahal (also given as Khālid al-Raḥḥāl, 1926–1987) ( ar, خالد الرحال) 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," ...

who was reduced to tears and made a death mask of his mentor, the man to whom he had been utterly devoted during his lifetime. Scholars have suggested that his premature death can be attributed, at least in part, to the stresses of completing the ''Nasb al-Hurriyah'' sculpture. His demise was seen as an "irreparable loss to Arab visual culture."

Work

Saleem consciously included Assyrian and

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

ian architectural features into his artworks - and was one of the first Iraqi artists to forge links with Iraq's ancient civilisations and their artistic traditions. Examples of his work are held in the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Art. Saleem is especially known for his ''Nasb al-Hurriyah'', located in Tahir Square, one of the main squares in Baghdad's city centre. The monument consists of 14 bronze castings, representing 25 figures on a travertine slab, raised 6 metres off the ground. It provides a narrative of the

1958 Revolution of Iraq The 14 July Revolution, also known as the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, took place on 14 July 1958 in Iraq, and resulted in the overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq that had been established by King Faisal I in 1921 under the auspices of the B ...

with references to Iraqi history by incorporating Assyrian and

ian wall-reliefs. It is meant to be read as a verse of Arabic poetry - from right to left - beginning with events that preceded the revolution - and concluding with harmony following independence. The sculpture featured on the 10,000 dinar bank note for 2013-2015 in his honour. The multiple references and hidden layers of meaning in the work inspired Arab artists across the region and encouraged them to pursue artwork with a national identity at a time when many Arab nations were attaining independence.

Notable public works

* ''Motherhood,'' 1954 - a looted sculpture that has since been returned to Iraq's National collection * '' Nasb al-Hurriyah,'' (''Monument of Freedom'', also known as ''Liberty Monument''), bass relief, 50 X 10 metres, Tahir Square, Baghdad (completed in 1961).

Notable smaller sculptures

* ''The Unknown Political Prisoner,'' plaster maquette, 1952 * ''A Man and a Woman,'' plaster relief, (45 X 45 cm), 1953 * ''A Man and a Woman,'' plaster relief, (45 X 45 cm), 1953 * ''Man and the Earth,'' 1955 * Mother and Child, 1953 (in the Barjeel Art collection)

Select list of paintings

* ''The Baghdadi Family,'' 1953 * ''Children Playing,'' oil on canvas, 1953–54 * ''Hilal Decoration,'' 1955 * ''Al-Zafa,'' 1956 * ''Musicians in the Street,'' 1956 * ''Baghdadiat,'' 1957 * ''Kid Women,'' 1957 * ''A Woman and a Girl,'' 1957 * ''Henna Night,'' 1957 * ''Seedling Seller,'' 1957 * '' Woman Adorned,'' 1957 * ''Two Boys Eating al-Raqi (watermelons),'' 1958 (This work can be seen hanging on the wall in the portrait of Saleem picture above.) * ''The Girl and the Gardener,'' 1958 * ''Siesta,'' 1958 * ''The Dead Tree,'' 1958 * ''Girl and Dove,'' 1958 * ''Mosque of Kufa,'' 1958 * ''Tailoring,'' 1958 * ''In the Forum of the Caliph,'' 1958 * ''Woman with Coffee Pot,'' watercolour, private collection, date unknownAli, W., ''Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity,'' University of Florida Press, 1997, p. 146

References

Parts of this article have been translated from the Arabic Wikipedia.

External links

Modern Art Iraq Archive
Electronic resource maintained by Iraqi artists to preserve Iraq's art heritage and includes reproductions of artworks, many of which were looted from the Museum of Modern Art in 2003 and remain missing. These works are not accessible in any other public source.