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PROPERTY THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF MR. FADHIL CHALABIBorn in 1929 in Baghdad, Fadhil J. Chalabi studied law at Baghdad University and graduated in 1951 and subsequently was one of the first people from his hometown to gain a PhD in oil economics from the University of Paris. He was one of the few people to leave their country for its benefit rather than his own. He left on a mission to learn something that he could eventually bring back to his country to better it and expose it to what’s out there in terms of culture and way of life. Fadhil belonged to a generation of the 1940s that had large aspirations and a drive for the development and progress in Iraq, only to become disheartened by the dreadful developments in Iraq since 1980. Chalabi was the Executive Director of the Centre for Global Energy Studies, a London-based think-tank he co-chaired alongside H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani (B. 1930). Additionally, he was the former Undersecretary for Oil at Iraq's Ministry of Petroleum as well as Deputy Secretary General of OPEC from 1978-89 and it’s Acting Secretary General 1983-88. In 1988 he received an Award for Distinction British Institute of Energy Economics. He is also the author of many articles and three books: Oil Policies, Oil Myths: Observations of an OPEC Insider (2010), OPEC and the International Oil Industry: A Changing Structure (1980), and OPEC at the Crossroads (1989).A lifetime working in the oil industry didn’t stop him from gaining a passion for art. Since his adolescence, Fadhil was always passionate for visual arts and especially for classical music, even playing cello as a hobby. During his time in Paris, Chalabi forged a friendship with renowned Iraqi artist, Shaker Hassan Al Said (1925-2004). Through this friendship, Chalabi had a gaining interest in art and began collecting works by artist himself as well as other artists from his homeland as these works were his remaining connection to it. Over the years Mr. Chalabi has accumulated a massive collection of artworks by solely Iraqi artists. He remained devoted to his homeland and continuously supported the ever-growing art scene in Iraq. In the present sale, Christie’s is proud to offer 12 pieces from various Iraqi artists from his outstanding collection. This collection aims to enthuse, and it did just that when it came to Chalabi’s sons, Talik and Jaafar, who, because of their father’s drive and collection were inspired to become architects. Through these works, Mr. Chalabi hopes to impassion other aspiring artists to move forward with their desires just as he did, as one never knows what’s in store for themselves. Christie's is honoured to have been entrusted with the enchanting and seminal works from the Chalabi Collection. Looking into what defines the strength and continuity of Iraqi Modern art, this collection offers a broader vision into the artistic evolution of some of the most prominent Iraqi artists.

Naziha Selim (Iraqi, 1927-2008)

Untitled

Details

Naziha Selim (Iraqi, 1927-2008)
Untitled
signed and dated in Arabic (lower right)
oil on canvas
34 1/3 x 27 ½ in. (88 x 70cm.)
Painted in 1980

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist.

Special notice

Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importation value (low estimate) levied at the time of collection shipment within UAE. For UAE buyers, please note that duty is paid at origin (Dubai) and not in the importing country. As such, duty paid in Dubai is treated as final duty payment. It is the buyer's responsibility to ascertain and pay all taxes due. Please note that on 1st of January 2018, the UAE introduced a VAT regime. For all lots, a VAT charge of 5% of the buyer’s premium will be payable unless the lot is correctly exported out of the UAE within 90 days of the date of this auction. For lots marked with the ‘star’ * symbol in the catalogue, an import duty of 5% of the hammer price will be payable if the lot is collected or shipped within the GCC and an additional VAT of 5% will be charged on the duty-inclusive hammer price if the lot is released into free circulation in the UAE. Please see the Conditions of Sale in the sale catalogue for full details. If you are shipping outside of the UAE, you will need to indicate your shipping requirements and residency status to us prior to bidding to secure a VAT refund.

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Michael Jeha

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Lot Essay

Described by Iraq’s former president, Jalal Talabani (1933-2017), as "the first Iraqi woman who anchored the pillars of Iraqi contemporary art,” Naziha Selim was born in 1927 in Istanbul into an Iraqi family of artists living in Turkey. Her father was a painter, while her brother, Jewad Selim (1921–1961), has been cited as one of Iraq's most important modern sculptors. In the 1940s, she graduated from the Baghdad Fine Arts Institution and went on to continue her education in Paris at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, where she specialized in fresco and mural painting and studied under Fernand Léger (1881-1955), graduating in 1951. She remained in Europe for seven years before returning to Baghdad in the 1960s to teach at the Fine Arts Institute and remained at the school until her retirement in the 1980s.

When she returned to Iraq, she became more actively involved in the contemporary art scene, exhibiting her work with the Baghdad Modern Art Group and her work became clearly influenced by the philosophies of the group. Her work demonstrates an interest in the contemporary stylistic experiments of Baghdadi painting, as well as portraiture, Baghdadi street scenes and mosques, and subjects relating to Iraqi women. In this present lot, Selim depicts a man who appears to be sewing. With a palette consisting mainly of warm hues of yellow and orange, the artist is giving a new take on approaching light and shadow by using deeply contrasted colors to do so. Noticeably inspired by the works of her contemporary and brother, Jewad, Naziha takes geometric plains of colors and combines them with more organic and sensual lines going throughout the composition.

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