.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Born in Baghdad in 1939, Dia Al-Azzawi is hailed as one of the most influential living artists of the Arab world. Renowned for his vibrant and figurative canvases, his artistic repertoire extends across various mediums, drawing from Iraq's cultural legacy to mirror collective struggles and contemporary issues.
Al-Azzawi's early works were informed by living amidst Baghdad's dynamic art scene, where he played a crucial role in shaping the genre of mid-20th-century Iraqi modernism. In 1969, he together with Rafa Nasiri, Mohammad Muhriddin, Ismail Fattah, Hachem al-Samarchi and Saleh al-Jumaie, established the group 'Towards a New Vision' (al-Ru’yya al-Jadidah) and co-authored its manifesto, advocating for an exploration of history as a means to forge a connected artistic vocabulary for the present. Iraq's cultural heritage took on renewed significance for the artist, inspiring a reconnection with traditions such as Islamic illuminated manuscripts and its engagement with diverse creative expressions. Poetry seamlessly integrated into his artistic oeuvre, offering a wellspring of imaginative impetus and a repository of metaphoric associations.
Al-Azzawi was influenced by objects of Mesopotamian and Islamic cultures housed at the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, from where after completing his studies in archaeology and fine arts at the Baghdad Institute of Fine Arts in 1964, he worked for over a decade before moving to London in 1976. To reflect on timeless aspects of the human condition, Al-Azzawi began merging contemporary painting techniques with motifs sourced from Iraq's rich Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian heritage with geometric patterns and arabesque elements inspired by the tribal culture of the desert.
In Summeria Face, a disjointed solitary figure of a human face and gripping fist, composed of an assortment of geometric forms, emerges against a contrasting black background, punctuated by occasional bursts of subdued colours. Its plain geometric visage pays homage to the iconic Mesopotamian figurines cherished by the artist. With the single figure positioned in an expansive realm of darkness, a looming sensation of isolation pervades. The four-petal almond rosette motif appearing alongside the clutched hand in green is a reference from material culture found across Europe and Asia, beginning in the earliest civilisations, from ancient Egypt and Greece to Mesopotamian and the Indus Valley, developing a divergence of significations across different geographies. On the top left appears a crossed three-digit: seven, eight, six numeric, written reversely in Arabic. The numerical combination, derived from an ancient system of Arabic numerology called abjad, is a signifier of good wishes. In reference to warding off evil, the inscription appears on various surfaces and objects, including amulets on which the digits are marked mysteriously in reverse to enhance their magical obscurity, hence transforming this canvas into a talisman of good fortune. This painting holds significant weight in demonstrating Al-Azzawi's stylistic progression, providing tangible evidence of the artist's glorious evolution.
Al-Azzawi’s profound understanding of history and keen artistic sensibility plays a crucial role in characterising this work. He consistently draws inspiration from both Arab and Western artistic traditions. Al-Azzawi’s work forms part of numerous institutional collections worldwide and continues to be exhibited extensively in the Middle East, North Africa, the United States, India, Brazil, and Europe, including major retrospectives at Institut du monde arabe, Paris (2002); and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha. Museums Gallery Al Riwaq, Doha (2016), displayed jointly.
Al-Azzawi's early works were informed by living amidst Baghdad's dynamic art scene, where he played a crucial role in shaping the genre of mid-20th-century Iraqi modernism. In 1969, he together with Rafa Nasiri, Mohammad Muhriddin, Ismail Fattah, Hachem al-Samarchi and Saleh al-Jumaie, established the group 'Towards a New Vision' (al-Ru’yya al-Jadidah) and co-authored its manifesto, advocating for an exploration of history as a means to forge a connected artistic vocabulary for the present. Iraq's cultural heritage took on renewed significance for the artist, inspiring a reconnection with traditions such as Islamic illuminated manuscripts and its engagement with diverse creative expressions. Poetry seamlessly integrated into his artistic oeuvre, offering a wellspring of imaginative impetus and a repository of metaphoric associations.
Al-Azzawi was influenced by objects of Mesopotamian and Islamic cultures housed at the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, from where after completing his studies in archaeology and fine arts at the Baghdad Institute of Fine Arts in 1964, he worked for over a decade before moving to London in 1976. To reflect on timeless aspects of the human condition, Al-Azzawi began merging contemporary painting techniques with motifs sourced from Iraq's rich Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian heritage with geometric patterns and arabesque elements inspired by the tribal culture of the desert.
In Summeria Face, a disjointed solitary figure of a human face and gripping fist, composed of an assortment of geometric forms, emerges against a contrasting black background, punctuated by occasional bursts of subdued colours. Its plain geometric visage pays homage to the iconic Mesopotamian figurines cherished by the artist. With the single figure positioned in an expansive realm of darkness, a looming sensation of isolation pervades. The four-petal almond rosette motif appearing alongside the clutched hand in green is a reference from material culture found across Europe and Asia, beginning in the earliest civilisations, from ancient Egypt and Greece to Mesopotamian and the Indus Valley, developing a divergence of significations across different geographies. On the top left appears a crossed three-digit: seven, eight, six numeric, written reversely in Arabic. The numerical combination, derived from an ancient system of Arabic numerology called abjad, is a signifier of good wishes. In reference to warding off evil, the inscription appears on various surfaces and objects, including amulets on which the digits are marked mysteriously in reverse to enhance their magical obscurity, hence transforming this canvas into a talisman of good fortune. This painting holds significant weight in demonstrating Al-Azzawi's stylistic progression, providing tangible evidence of the artist's glorious evolution.
Al-Azzawi’s profound understanding of history and keen artistic sensibility plays a crucial role in characterising this work. He consistently draws inspiration from both Arab and Western artistic traditions. Al-Azzawi’s work forms part of numerous institutional collections worldwide and continues to be exhibited extensively in the Middle East, North Africa, the United States, India, Brazil, and Europe, including major retrospectives at Institut du monde arabe, Paris (2002); and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha. Museums Gallery Al Riwaq, Doha (2016), displayed jointly.