Jamil Hamoudi Collection (1940s - 1980s)

This big collection of archival material related to art in Iraq and the Arab world includes many documents, negatives, photos, booklets, invitation cards, magazines, etc., related to Mr. Hammoudi’s activates and to the modern Arab Art during the 1940s and through the 80s. The collection is a rare record of the cultural exchanges and dialogues that supported the boom of modern Arab art in the region, and is of great interest to researchers interested in visual culture, the history of modern art in the region, the pioneering role played by Iraqi artists in defining a new aesthetics, and in artistic and cultural exchanges in the 20^th c. in general.

Jamil Hamoudi was an Iraqi Artist, (1924 - 2003), and a leading art critic in Iraq and the Arab world. Besides practicing and teaching art (Mr. Hammoudi was a pioneer in using Arabic calligraphy in art, and was a founding member of the al Hurufiyah movement), Mr. Hamoudi was also a founding editor of several art magazines, and the owner of several art galleries in Paris, London and Baghdad, and a member of the pioneer Iraqi art scene from the 40s until the 90s.