Jawad Salim

Acquired directly from the artist in 1950
Private Collection
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1998

Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, The Grass Roots of Iraqi Art, Jersey 1983, p. 21, illustrated in colour

Condition: This work is in relatively good condition. There are some losses at the very edges of the canvas and some craqueleure at the face of the figure.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A decisive figure in Iraq's modern art movement, Jawad Selim's passion in life was painting and sculpture. His capacity to create remarkable sculptures and paintings inevitably had an impact on the development of Iraqi modernism, matched only by Faik Hassan (lot 100). Selim always expressed a strong ambition to be a part of the movement which would reassert national self-esteem and help build a distinctive Iraqi artistic identity. The present work is one of the earliest to be sold by Selim, and is the only realistic portrait to have been offered at auction.

The earliest influences on Selim's painting style came during his stay in Paris in 1938 and then Rome a year later in 1939. After the outbreak of World War II, Selim was unable to stay in Europe longer and had to return to Baghdad. However, by visiting museums and being introduced to artists in Europe, he was inspired to experiment and exercise all of the dynamic avenues he had encountered during his time there.

Selim's sudden death in 1961 was a great loss for Iraq and marked the end of the first phase of the Iraqi modern movement.  Although Selim's life was cut short bringing to an end this formative period, many inspired young artists continued to follow his example, exploring subjective approaches and using innovative techniques.