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.
Life and career
Sua'd Salim was born in Ankara, Ottoman Empire in 1918 to Iraqi parents.
His parents were both originally from Mosul in Northern Iraq, but his father,
Mohammed Hajji Selim
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. H ...
, a military officer with the Ottoman army, had been stationed in Ankara at the time of his birth. The family returned to Baghdad in the 1920s, when the children were relatively young. His father was an amateur artist who later taught drawing to the children of
King Ghazi
Ghazi ibn Faisal ( ar, غازي ابن فيصل, Gâzî ibn-i Faysal) (21 March 1912 – 4 April 1939) was the King of Iraq from 1933 to 1939 having been briefly Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Syria in 1920. He was born in Mecca, the only son ...
.
His mother was an artist and a skilled embroiderer and his siblings,
Jawad, Nizarre and
Naziha all became notable Iraqi artists in their own right.
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.
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.
Personal life
He married Madiha, the sister of Abdul Jabbar Mahmoud, the personal pilot of
King Ghazi
Ghazi ibn Faisal ( ar, غازي ابن فيصل, Gâzî ibn-i Faysal) (21 March 1912 – 4 April 1939) was the King of Iraq from 1933 to 1939 having been briefly Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Syria in 1920. He was born in Mecca, the only son ...
.
Work
He is credited with introducing colour into some of his caricatures appearing in newspapers and magazines. However, he is noted for designing medals and badges of honour. His most significant designs include:
[“Suad Salim iographical Notes ''Ibrahimi Collection'', http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337]
* Insignia for the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Iraq
* Al-Rafidian collar
* Order of Al-Rafidian
* Medal of Courage
* Silver Jubilee for the establishment of the Iraqi Army
* Martyr’s medal
File:Courage medal.jpg, Medal of Courage, Iraq
File:Coat of arms of Iraq (1965–1991).svg, Coat of arms of Iraq (1965–1991)
See also
*
Islamic art
*
Iraqi art
*
List of Iraqi artists
References
External links
Modern Art Archive– reproductions of artworks many of which were destroyed or looted in 2003 and cannot be found in any other collection
Further reading
Bloom, J. and Blair, S.S. (eds), ''Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture'', vol. 2, OUP, 2009, p. 290
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salim, Su'ad
20th-century Iraqi painters
1918 births
2001 deaths
Artists from Baghdad
Coats of arms designers
Iraqi designers