Career Path and Education
Renowned Iraqi painter and engraver Salem al-Dabbagh played a central role in the development of art in Iraq from the 1960s onward. Born in Mosul in 1941, his relationship with art developed late. He showed no particular interest in artistic creation during his childhood until images of Vincent van Gogh's paintings captivated him, triggering a deep fascination with art. Simultaneously, he nurtured an attachment to the traditions of his native city, a connection that quickly transformed into an enriching cultural quest.
After his secondary studies (1948–1958), he enrolled at Ma’had al-Funun al-Jamila (Baghdad Institute of Fine Arts) (1958–1961), where he benefited from the teaching of significant figures such as Jewad Selim (1919–1961), Faiq Hassan (1914– 1992), Ismail al-Shaikhly (1924–2002), and Khalid al-Rahhal (1926–1987), who shaped his understanding of classical and modern techniques. He then continued his training at the Akadimiyat al-Funun al-Jamila (Baghdad Academy of Fine Arts) (1961–1965) under the influence of Roman Artymowski (1919–1993), a Polish artist who introduced him to graphic arts and broadened his horizons. Early on, al-Dabbagh distinguished himself through his first solo exhibitions, organised in 1962 with the support of the American Friends of the Middle East (AFME). These events, which brought together intellectuals and diplomats, contributed to the internationalisation of Iraqi art and consolidated his emerging reputation.
In 1964, while still a student, he co-founded the Jama'at al-Mujaddidin (Innovators Group) alongside artists such as Ali Talib (1944–), Saleh al-Jumaie (1939–), Talib Makki (1936–2022), Nidaa Kazim (1939–), Faiq Hussein (1944–2003), Sobhi al-Jarjafji, and photographer Taher Jamil. This group dedicated itself to overcoming traditional technical constraints by exploring the material dimensions of artwork. Privileging human and conceptual content over aesthetic form, they refused to separate thinking processes from artistic practice. Their approach, infused with materialism, sought a balance between content and form, rejecting formalism. This approach aimed to liberate art from subject constraints, creating a universal expression where form and content mutually reinforce each other. In 1967, their Resistance exhibition demonstrated their social and political engagement, marking a turning point in their practice. The exhibition was in response to the June 1967 Naksa (crisis), when Palestinians were expelled from the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza. It included political posters declaring an intifada against “old traditions and concepts.”
Al-Dabbagh gained international recognition in 1966 by winning a prize at the International Engraving Exhibition in Leipzig, Germany. Thanks to a grant from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, he perfected his engraving techniques in Portugal under the tutelage of Alice Jorge (1924– 2008) and João Navarro Hogan (1914–1988), participating in an exhibition at Galeria Gravura in 1968, alongside Rafa Nasiri and Hashim Samerchi. This marked the beginning of the development of graphic art in Iraq, generating keen interest in the region and paving the way for participation in international graphic exhibitions such as the 8th Biennial of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana, former Yugoslavia, in 1969.
Returning to Baghdad in 1971, he headed the graphic design department at the Institute of Fine Arts, where he trained several generations of artists. He exhibited internationally and participated in Qatari residencies in the 2000s, during which some of his works were added to the permanent collection at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
Salem al-Dabbagh passed away in 2022 in San Diego, leaving a lasting artistic legacy. His practice, blending abstraction, geometry, and cultural symbolism, remains a cornerstone of modern Iraqi art, illustrating the power of art to transcend cultural and temporal boundaries.
