Faeq Hassan (Iraq, 1914-1992) El-Allabat (The Curd Sellers) oil on canvas signed lower left, executed circa early 1950's 90 x 80cm (35 7/16 x 31 1/2in). Footnotes: Provenance: Property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Mohammed Saleh Makiya (1914-2015) Thence by descent to the present owner Exhibited: Baghdad, Iraqi Art Exhibition held at the Mansour Club, 1957. Published: Exhibition Catalogue, Iraqi Art Exhibition held at the Mansour Club, 1957. Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Art in Iraq Today, Stephen Austin and Sons, 1961 Rawi, N. (1962). Ta'ammulat fi al-fann al-Iraqi al-hadith. Contemplations on Modern Art in Iraq. Baghdad: Mudiriyat al-Funun wa-al-Thaqafah al Shabiyah bi-Wizarat al-Irshad. Ahmed Naji, Under the Palm Trees, Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, 2019, Rizzoli International, Page 86 El-Allabat Faeq Hassan Dr Ahmed Naji 'Upon his return to Iraq in 1938, Faeq Hassan played a pioneering and pivotal role in art education in Iraq, firstly at the Fine Art Institute, and subsequently at the Academy of Fine Art which became affiliated with Baghdad University and where Hassan was awarded the title Professor of Art; one of only two artists to hold this title, the other artist was his former student and colleague Ismail al-Sheikhly (Iraq 1924-2002). Outside teaching, Hassan is credited with forming several groups over the years , the first of which was in the late 1940s under the name Société Primitive (S.P. group), which was also known as Ar-Ruwaad (The Pioneers) and they held their first group exhibition in 1950. Hassan led the artists on picnics and travels to different areas in Baghdad and beyond to draw local scenes and landscapes. One of the main themes that Hassan focused on during this period was local peasants and Bedouins in different settings; such as the mudhif (guest house), the coffee house, as well as various roles including the water carriers, the bakers, the farmers and so on. The role depicted in this painting is that of the women who sell buffalo curd at dawn in Baghdad, locally termed as العلابات (El-Allabat – translated as the Packers referring to the packs of buffalo curd stacked on their heads or on the ground beside them). This painting was exhibited at a historic exhibition in 1957 (the same year of the painting) at al Mansour Club in Baghdad, organised by Mohamed Makiya as the president of the newly formed Iraqi Artists Association (established a few months earlier in 1956) and Ali Haider al-Rikabi; the director of the Mansour Club and son of a prominent politician and advisor to King Faisal I. The painting was one of five exhibited by the artist and was considered a prominent example of his work as it was published in one of the first official art publications in 1962 by the artist Nouri al-Rawi ; who was the first director of the National Museum of Modern Art in Iraq founded in July 1962. The female peasants in this painting feature as an architectonic composition with a dark palette of the dawn in Baghdad. Hassan shows his masterful technique in composition, colours, and material as a master-teacher of painting in Iraq. This painting particularly reflects a dynamic competitive interaction Hassan enjoyed with two other artist-educators; Jewad Selim (Turkey 1919 – Iraq 1961) and Hafidh al-Droubi (Iraq 1941 – 1991) and their respective art groups; Baghdad Modern Art (1951) and the Impressionists (1953). Mohamed Makiya enjoyed the fruits of such noble competition between Hassan and Selim and based on Selim's recommendation Makiya bought this painting from the exhibition. The geometric forms of the women against the background architecture is a prime example of his 1950s quasi-cubist architectonic abstraction as he explains 'the figures appear to me as part of the location/space, as if time made them something special' . Hassan then controls his composition with colours which are his 'means to read the subject undoubtedly...' . The colourist master-teacher captures darkness of the dawn with the ushering glimpses of sunrise. Hassan utilises the red as the focal point of the painting, as he considers red to be 'the centre of the image and its vibrancy as it attracts attention more than any other colour. However, the red is never alone as it is linked to a certain group of colours' as we see in the contrasting lilacs and blues as well as the harmonising browns. While Hassan was later known for experimentation with different art styles, he concentrated on one theme, the Iraqi locale. This experimentation and shifting in styles continued and dominated Hassan's oeuvre in a manner that leaves only one constant defining feature, namely technique. Al Said explained 'Faeq Hassan is [technical]. Perhaps he is also a pioneer of a technique-based vision. However, Hassan's teaching commitments had distracted him perhaps from formalising such a vision and demonstrating it comprehensively' . Al Said based his classification of Hassan based on the fact that he considered Hassan to be a 'teacher first and foremost, then he is an artist with his own style and periods' . Hassan is a master of colour, not bounded by a style or a technique, as Nazar Salim noted 'He is a skilful master who knows the secrets of colours and forms – so skilful that he approximates to the master of the Renaissance' . As such, certain paintings by Hassan serve as milestones in his varied journey, of which this painting can be considered a prime example of the 1950s period.' Dr Ahmed Naji is an independent researcher and cultural advisor on art in Iraq and the Arab world. He is the author of Under the Palm Trees: Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, Rizzoli New York, 2019. (Instagram: Ahmednaji_Al Said) Faeq Hassan is often referred to as the father of Iraqi modern art. During his artistic career he took on many roles within the burgeoning Iraqi art scene, including educator and founder. In the crucial decades of the 1940s and 50s, Hassan was devoted to the creation of an art form that would express the growing feelings of national pride amongst Iraqi citizens. He was also interested in developing his own technical skill and that of his students. In later decades, Hassan would remain a leading artist in Iraq and his artistic legacy continues to be a powerful influence. Hassan's artistic aptitude was awarded in 1933 when he became the second recipient of a government-funded scholarship to study art in Europe. He travelled to France and enrolled at the Ècole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In Paris, Hassan had a fairly traditional education in the arts. He participated in art history and studio classes while completing art projects based on copying master works. Hassan was also introduced to important figures of European modernism. He was especially impressed with artists like Matisse and Delacroix, paying specific attention to their use of colour. Like many art students, Hassan spent his years in Paris synthesising aspects of his education and life experiences into a workable artistic practice. Hassan returned to Baghdad after receiving his degree in 1938. Soon after, he accepted a position at the Institute of Fine Art in Baghdad as the director of the Department of Painting and Sculpture. During his tenure at the institute, which continued until 1962, Hassan introduced courses based on Western painting techniques, as well as classes for the study of Islamic and Arab folk arts, like pottery and metalwork. He also went to great lengths to develop the efficacy of the department by training future teachers and procuring basic art supplies and gypsum models. In conjunction with his job as an administrator, Hassan was an involved teacher. Coupled with his work as an educator, Hassan participated in numerous art groups that brought artists together in collective interaction and exhibition, including the Society of the Friends of Art. In 1950, Hassan founded the group Ar-Ruwwad, or the Pioneers, that began under the name Société Primitive. The group started as a loose association of artists that went on trips to the outskirts of Baghdad to explore life outside of the cosmopolitan city centre. The Pioneers did not publish a group manifesto, but there was a shared desire amongst the participants to shed the confines of the artist studio and paint directly from the surrounding environment. The group exhibited in a private home until the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad was established in 1962. Villagers, workers, horsemen, and landscapes dominate his oeuvre and are depicted with an emotive delicateness, no matter the style. Due to his incredible talent as a painter and his dedication to education, Hassan is remembered today as 'the master' or 'the teacher.' Certainly he played a major role in the development of Iraqi modern art and his importance cannot be overstated. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com