For seven centuries the countries of Iraq and Egypt were seeing their decline in authentic art production. Such decline lasted through the successive periods of invasions by Mongols, the expanding Ottoman Empire and later by European colonial powers. In the first half of the 20th century the situation dramatically changed. The countries in the Arab world began to gain their independence and the vital need in defining the national consciousness emerged. The waves of secularisation of societies began, which were quicker in the centres of greater activity like Iraq and Egypt.

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The exhibition would explore how Arab Modernism became Arab. The study focusses on four artists, it traces their main influences whether modern or ancient and explores the particularities of their subject matter.

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The exhibition aims are ambitious: to challenge the dominant belief in the West and the world at large that the cultural contribution of the Arab modernism is insignificant. Today, this field of study is neglected not only in the West but also in the Arab world. As a result there is little known about Modern and contemporary Arab plastic arts for various reasons including unawareness of its existence and achievements, and the prevalence of stereotypical assumptions.

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The first room presents the work of legendary Egyptian modernist, Mahmoud Said (1897-1964). The exhibition begins with his work because he was one of the first alumni to have graduated from the first Modern art institution in the Arab world, established by Prince Yusuf Kamal in Cairo in 1908. His oeuvre paved the way for the discovery of Egyptian national identity by giving birth to Modern Egyptian art fused with Western art training. He combined elements of Pharaonic style dashed with a hint of Cubism, where Said transforms ordinary daily life into a scene of idealised illusionary world. 

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The second room is dedicated to Jawad Selim (1919-1961) and his influences. In 1951 Selim founded a group called The Baghdad Group for Modern Art that was the first in the Arab world to achieve a local style. The group’s manifesto reflects their mature and conscious attempts to define a unique direction for Iraqi Modernism. For members the vision was in searching for features of national personality in art, to look for indigenous sources of art, and to use European training to experiment with art styles. They tried to find the building blocks for the new art in the early legacy of Iraqi forefathers.

 

In the final room the focus is on two Iraqi artists, a teacher and his student, Faiq Hassan and Ismail al-Shaykhli. Hassan (1914-1992) studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he admired the use of colour by Delacroix and Matisse. Upon his return to Baghdad he founded the department of ‘Painting at the Institute of Fine Arts’. He was devoted to creating an art that was to express the feelings of Iraqi national pride among citizens and encouraged his students to source inspiration in the villages. He founded the avant-garde group called Societe Primitif centred around the idea of paining outdoors and exploring life outside the cosmopolitan centre. His cubist works present daily life of Iraqi bedouins living along the Tigris and Euphrates, for example Bedouin Tent. The highlight of the room is Figures by Ismail al-Shaykhli. The cubist female figures carrying traditional copper jugs on their heads are rhythmically painted.