Christie's and Bonhams offer works by Iraqi artists this autumn
According to Thenationalnews.com, Iraqi Modernism continues to lead the Middle East auctions, with Christie’s and Bonhams offering works from family collections assembled in Baghdad in the 1960s.
Works by Jewad Selim, Faeq Hassan, Kadhim Hayder and Dia Azzawi dominate the two auction houses’ autumn offerings.
Most of the high-value pieces will be in this sale, then an online-only auction in February of works on paper, and the second part of the main collection in the final Baghdadiyat sale next June.
The star of the collection is Hayder’s He is Destroyed that he may Return (1963), part of the 35-cycle Martyr’s Epic that allegorised the Battle of Karbala.
This canvas offers a freer rendering than many of the controlled, steady canvases in the series, with its visible, almost agitated brushstrokes. Christie’s has estimated it at £25,000 to £35,000, a relatively low estimate that probably reflects the smaller scale of the work.
