Su'ad Salim Explained

Su'ad Salim
Birth Name:Hajj Su'ad Salim
Birth Place:Ankara, Turkey
Death Date:2001
Nationality:Iraqi
Field:Painting

Sua'd Salim (b. Hajj Su'ad Salim, 1918, Ankara d. 2001, Iraq) was an Iraqi artist and cartoonist who is noted for designing the coat of arms for the Iraqi Republic along with other medals and badges of honour.

Life and career

Sua'd Salim was born in Ankara, Ottoman Empire in 1918 to Iraqi parents.[1]

His parents were both originally from Mosul in Northern Iraq,[2]

Notes and References

  1. Ministry of Culture (Iraq Ministry of Culture, Culture and Arts in Iraq: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the July 17–30 Revolution, Iraq, Ministry of Culture and Arts, 1978, p. 23; Ali, W., Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, University of Florida Press, 1997, p. 47; Some sources claim that he was born in Baghdad in 1918 (e.g. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337, however this seems unlikely since his father was stationed in Ankara until the early 1920s and his younger siblings, Jawad Saleem and Naziha Salim were all born in Ankara, Turkey.
  2. Metcher-Atassi, S., "Munif's Interest in Modern Art, Friendship, Symbolic Exchange and the Art of the Book," The MIT Electronic Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Spring, 2007, pp 99-116
  3. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  4. Ministry of Culture, Iraq, Culture and Arts in Iraq: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the July 17–30 Revolution, Iraq, Ministry of Culture and Arts, 1978, p. 23
  5. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  6. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  7. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  8. Ministry of Information, Iraq Contemporary Art, 1977, p. 49
  9. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
  10. Shabout, N. (ed), A Century of Iraqi Art, Bonham's of London, 2015 [Illustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015</ref> His father was an amateur artist who later taught drawing to the children of [[Ghazi of Iraq|King Ghazi]].[3] His mother was an artist and a skilled embroiderer and his siblings, Jawad, Nizar and Naziha all became notable Iraqi artists in their own right.[4]

    He grew up in the Haidarkhana district of Baghdad and was educated at the Ma’mouniyah Primary School, the Alsharqiya School and the College of Law. After graduating, he worked as a cartoonist for several Iraqi newspapers and magazines and also worked as an art teacher. In the 1940s, he left teaching and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[5]

    He was actively involved in the Iraqi arts scene, was one of the founders of the Friends of Iraqi art, and regularly participated in its exhibitions.[6]

    Personal life

    He married Madiha, the sister of Abdul Jabbar Mahmoud, the personal pilot of King Ghazi.[7]

    Work

    He is credited with introducing colour into some of his caricatures appearing in newspapers and magazines.[8] However, he is noted for designing medals and badges of honour. His most significant designs include:[9]

    • Insignia for the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Iraq
    • Al-Rafidian collar
    • Order of Al-Rafidian
    • Medal of Courage
    • Silver Jubilee for the establishment of the Iraqi Army
    • Martyr’s medal

    See also

    External links

    • Modern Art Archive – reproductions of artworks many of which were destroyed or looted in 2003 and cannot be found in any other collection

    Further reading

    Bloom, J. and Blair, S.S. (eds), Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture, vol. 2, OUP, 2009, p. 290

  11. Shabout, N. (ed), A Century of Iraqi Art, Bonham's of London, 2015 [Illustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015</ref> but his father, [[Mohammed Hajji Selim]], a military officer with the Ottoman army, had been stationed in Ankara at the time of his birth.[2] The family returned to Baghdad in the 1920s, when the children were relatively young.[3]