NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery Explores Baghdad Modern Art Group Legacies Through January 2027

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery is presenting“In All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group,” an exhibition curated by Dr. Nada Shabout. The show traces the influence of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, founded in 1951 by Jewad Selim ( 1919–1961 ) and Shakir Hassan Al Said ( 1925–2004 ), and connects it to contemporary Iraqi artists globally.

Established by two of Iraq's most prominent artists, the Baghdad Modern Art Group expanded to include numerous leading artists, architects, and poets. Their objective was to forge a novel art form that integrated global modernism from Baghdad, an Abbasid city founded in 762 CE with ties to ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. The exhibition includes works by artists from this influential circle, alongside those whose practices were shaped by the group's vision across multiple generations.

Following Iraq's formation as an independent state in 1932, artists questioned the capacity of traditional“Islamic art” to reflect contemporary realities, seeking a new visual language. Modern art offered a conduit for this exploration, viewed as a universal space of shared humanity. Various artist collectives emerged to champion national identity through culture, fostering modern art in Iraq. This period cultivated Iraq's 1950s“golden age,” establishing rigorous standards for art theory and practice. Featured artists in the exhibition include Faraj Abbo, Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Himat Mohammad Ali, Rasoul Alwan, Suad al-Attar, Qahtan Awni, Dia al-Azzawi, Bogus Bablanian, Amar Dawod, Ghassan Ghaib, Faiq (Faeq) Hassan, Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Rand Abdul Jabbar, Fouad Jihad, Saadi Al Kaabi, Ardash Kakafian, Salma Khoury, Hanaa Malallah, Mahmoud Obaidi, Widad al-Orfali, Khalid al-Rahal, Kareem Risan, Miran al-Saadi, Mahmoud Sabri, Naziha Salim, Nizar (Nazar) Salim, Shakir Hassan Al Said, Delair Shaker, Jewad Selim, Lorna Selim, Walid Siti, Ismail Fattah (Al-Turk), Madiha Umar, Khalil al-Ward, and Nazar Yahya.

Dr. Shabout, a prolific author on modern and contemporary Arab and Iraqi art, recently joined NYU Abu Dhabi as a senior investigator at the al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art and a visiting professor of art history. She is also the founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey (AMCA) and founding director of the Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA). The exhibition is on view at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery through January 3, 2027.

Source: Hyperallergic

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