The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery has officially opened its doors to a monumental and deeply researched exhibition exploring the profound, far-reaching impact of one of the 20th century’s most visionary artistic collectives. Titled All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, the exhibition is curated by Dr. Nada Shabout and remains on view through January 3, 2027. By bringing together foundational works from the group’s pioneering members alongside pieces from subsequent generations, the exhibition serves as both a historical survey and a living archive, tracing how a radical 1950s movement in the heart of Iraq continues to resonate across the contemporary global art landscape.
Established in 1951, the Baghdad Modern Art Group was born out of a desire to forge a distinct artistic path that bridged Iraq’s deep historical roots with the realities of globally inflected modernism. The collective was co-founded by two of Iraq’s most influential artists, Jewad Selim (1919–1961) and Shakir Hassan Al Said (1925–2004). Over the ensuing years, the group expanded organically, drawing in a vibrant ecosystem of Iraq’s leading creative minds, including painters, sculptors, architects, poets, and intellectuals. Operating out of Baghdad—an historic Abbasid city established in 762 CE that traces its cultural lineage directly to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia—these artists sought to negotiate a rapidly changing world through a uniquely localized yet globally minded visual language.
To fully understand the urgency that drove the Baghdad Modern Art Group, one must look closely at the sociopolitical landscape of Iraq during the mid-20th century. Following the formal formation of the Kingdom of Iraq as an independent state in 1932, local artists found themselves grappling with the new parameters of an emerging, secularized modern society. This societal transformation took place in the immediate wake of British maneuvering to dismantle the Ottoman Empire, leaving the region to redefine its identity, governance, and cultural expressions.
In this environment of profound transition, artists began to critically question whether traditional "Islamic art" practices and conventional academic methods were sufficient to express their contemporary realities. They recognized that past formulas could not adequately capture the complexities of post-colonial statehood, industrialization, and urban life. Consequently, they embarked on an intense search for a more effective visual vocabulary. Modern art provided them with an invaluable conduit for exploration, functioning in their eyes as a shared global space of common humanity where local heritage could converse with universal modernist principles.
Various artist groups of the era launched ambitious initiatives to convey the critical importance of national representation through culture. Prominently among them, the Baghdad Modern Art Group championed the promotion of a progressive, forward-looking modern art movement in Iraq. This dynamic era ultimately laid the crucial groundwork for what is frequently celebrated as Iraq’s golden age of the 1950s. It was a vital period of maturation for a generation of practitioners who were pivotal in establishing rigorous standards of art theory and practice. By doing so, they charted entirely new possibilities not only for themselves but for countless generations of artists who would follow in their footsteps.
The experimental ethos pioneered by Selim, Al Said, and their contemporaries has proven remarkably enduring. More than half a century later, their spirit of fearless experimentation continues to resonate far beyond the borders of Baghdad, serving as a vital artistic and intellectual bridge that connects contemporary Iraqi artists scattered around the world to one another and to their shared heritage.
The exhibition at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery captures this expansive generational dialogue by featuring an extensive roster of artists whose practices reflect, directly or indirectly, the foundational philosophies of the original collective. The impressive lineup of featured creators includes 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. Through paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and mixed-media installations, the exhibition maps out a rich cartography of Iraqi modernism and its persistent afterlives.
At the helm of this ambitious curatorial project is Dr. Nada Shabout, a leading authority on modern and contemporary Arab and Iraqi art whose scholarship has shaped the field globally. Dr. Shabout has published extensively on the subject and has curated numerous critically acclaimed exhibitions throughout her career. Her involvement with NYU Abu Dhabi sees her serving as a senior investigator at the al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art, as well as a visiting professor of art history. Furthermore, her institutional impact is vast; she is the founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey (AMCA) and the founding director of the Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA). Her deep expertise provides All Manner of Experiments with a rigorous academic foundation that honors the historical weight of the materials while keeping the narrative vibrant and relevant to contemporary audiences.
All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group is currently on view at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery through January 3, 2027.
