Dalloul Art Foundation

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ISSAM AL SAID ISSAM AL SAID

ISSAM AL SAID, Iraq (1938 - 1988)

Bio

Issam Al Said was born in Baghdad, in 1938, of an Iraqi father and Egyptian mother and into an influential family: he was the grandson of Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Said. His brother also was...

Issam Al Said was born in Baghdad, in 1938, of an Iraqi father and Egyptian mother and into an influential family: he was the grandson of Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Said. His brother also was the personal pilot to King Hussein of Jordan. Al Said completed a degree in Architecture from Cambridge University in 1961 and a degree in Art from the Hammersmith College of Art and Design, London, in 1964. He was about to pursue a Ph.D. in Methodology of Geometric Proportioning in Islamic Architecture from the University of Newcastle in 1988 but unfortunately passed away the same year. His never-completed thesis was published posthumously by the Issam Al Said Foundation under the title Islamic Art and Architecture: The System of Geometric Design in 1993.

Issam Al Said was a renowned Iraqi painter, architect, designer, printmaker, and author who's practice reconciles traditional crafts with modern tendencies. His broad interests and involvement in these fields showed his dedication to Islamic culture and fascination for geometry. He was also part of the Hurufiyya movement; by incorporating Kufi scripts to his creation, he addressed the traditional calligraphy from the perspective of modern Art. Al Said accomplished several public buildings in London and Baghdad, as well as furniture and carpets, lamps, tiles, and other items.

The artist died in London, 1988, at the young age of 50.


This is a short biography. The full version , along with research, CV and sources will be posted soon. Stay tuned and visit us often or become a member to be notified of our updates.

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CV

Selected Group Exhibitions

2015

Rituals of Signs and Transitions (1975 – 1995), Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan

2014

The Pink Spy, Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen (MuHKA), Antwerp, Belgium

2013

Re: Orient, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

2012

Modern Arab Masters, Grosvenor Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1983

Contemporary Arab Artists III, Iraqi Cultural Center, London, United Kingdom

1982

Contemporary Arab Graphics, Graffiti Gallery, London, United Kingdom 

1980

Influence of Calligraphy on Contemporary Arab Art, Iraqi Cultural Center, London, United Kingdom
Third World Biennial of Contemporary Art, Iraqi Cultural Center, London, United Kingdom

1977

Christie’s Contemporary Art, Christie’s, London, United Kingdom
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom

1969

Sultan Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait

1964

Litchfield Gallery, New York, United States of America
Galerie Dagmar, Berlin, Germany

1963

Galerie Dagmar Wirth, Berlin, Germany

1962

Woodstock Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Banouch Gallery, Manama, Bahrain

Publications

1993

Issam El-Said, Islamic Art and Architecture: The System of Geometric Design

1989

Issam El-Said, Issam El-Said: Artist and Scholar

1976

Issam El-Said, Ayse Parman, Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art

Collections

Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
The National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, Iraq
National Museum of Modern Art, Amman, Jordan 
Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
The British Museum, London, United Kingdom 
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom
Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States of America

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Exhibitions
MODERN ARAB MASTERS
Rituals of Signs and Transitions (1975-1995)
Truth is black, write over it with a mirage’s light |||
A TRIBUTE TO RAFA NASIRI
RE: ORIENT

ISSAM AL SAID Artwork

Untitled

ISSAM AL SAID, Iraq, 1980
57 x 55 cm

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