lectures

Jewad Selim and the Birth of Iraqi Modernism

SOAS

November 12

SOAS University of London

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This lecture explores Iraqi sculptor Jewad Selim's pivotal role in shaping Iraq’s post-war artistic and cultural identity.

This lecture explores the pivotal role of Iraqi sculptor Jewad Selim in shaping Iraq’s post-war artistic and cultural identity.

The talk will examine Selim’s dialogue with Iraq's Mesopotamian and Islamic heritage, and his response to European modernism.  It will also look at his founding role in the Baghdad Group for Modern Art, and his lasting influence on modern Iraqi national identity. 

Speaker

Mr Nima Sagarchi is Group Head of Middle Eastern, Islamic and South Asian Art at Bonhams, a position he assumed in 2022 after joining the firm in 2014 to re-establish its Modern Middle Eastern Art department. Over the years, he has curated landmark auctions and exhibitions spanning Europe and the Middle East, forging strong relationships with collectors, institutions, and artists’ estates. 

He is the editor of the Jewad Selim Catalogue Raisonné (Skira, 2025) and has written widely on Middle Eastern art, contributing to The Farhad Moshiri Monograph (Skira, 2016), From Passion to Patronage: The AbdulMagid Breish Collection (Skira, 2020), and journals including Canvas and Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia. He previously co-curated 'Conference of the Birds' (London, 2008), a milestone exhibition of Iranian Modern art, and has lectured regularly at institutions such as the Aga Khan Foundation, Sotheby's Institute and the MISK Foundation.

Chair: Professor Scott Redford

Enquiries: rw51@soas.ac.uk