Naziha Salim: Facts about contemporary Iraqi artist to know

Google on Saturday paid an ode to the pioneering Iraqi painter Naziha Salim with a doodle who was remembered for depicting rural life through her artwork. A note accompanying the Google Doodle read “Salim specialized in fresco and mural painting. After graduation, she spent several more years abroad, immersing herself in art and culture,” read a note accompanying the Google Doodle. It added, "Her work often depicts rural Iraqi women and peasant's life through bold brush strokes and vivid colors. Today's Doodle artwork is an ode to Salim's painting style and a celebration of her long-standing contributions to the art world!" (sic)

1. Naziha Salim was born in Turkey into a family of artists in 1927. She studied art at Baghdad's Fine Arts Institute and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Art in Paris.

2. April 23, as a date marks a significance to Salim's career as it is on this day that her work was spotlighted in UAE-based Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection of the works of female artists.

3. Salim's father was a painter and her mother was an embroidery artist. She had three brothers and all of them had a remarkable contribution to arts. One of her brothers, Jawad Salim, is regarded as one of the most prominent sculptors of Iraq.

4. Surrounded by artists around her home, Salim's fascination for art started from an young age and she started creating her own art pieces from since then.

5. She earned a distinction in the course and received a scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Art in Paris.

6. She worked at Baghdad's Fine Arts Institute and taught there until she retired.

7. Salim founded a community of foreign-educated artists, called Al-Ruwwad and was also one of the founding members of it.

8. Salim specialised in fresco and mural painting while in Paris.

9. Al-Ruwwad is an artists' community that invites artists from across the world and incorporates art techniques into the Iraqi aesthetic.

10. She wrote a book called Iraq: Contemporary Art, which is an important source of information about the early development of Iraq’s modern art movement and her artwork are displayed at the Sharjah Art Museum and at the Modern Art Iraqi Archive (MAIA).

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