Front cover of Nouri al-Rawi's book, al-Mathaf al-watani li al-fann al-hadith. Baghdad 1968-1978 / National Museum of Modern Art 1968-1978, Baghdad, Dar al-Hurriyya li al-Tibaʿa, 1978.

LECTURE

Nouri al-Rawi (1925-2014) : articulation entre critique et institution muséale dans l’Irak du XXe siècle

Zouina Ait Slimani

8.4.25, 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM, Auditorium, EESAB Rennes, France

As part of the symposium “La critique d'art et le musée : dynamiques et enjeux d'une relation au XXe siècle” organized by Pierre Ruault and Alice Truc at the University of Rennes 2, France, Zouina Ait Slimani will speak on the pivotal figure of Nouri al-Rawi, painter, art critic, and founder of the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad (1962).

Her presentation will examine how modern art was legitimized in Iraq through both critical discourse and institutional practices. It will highlight the creation of the Archives of Plastic Arts in 1972, al-Rawi’s role in the Iraqi Association of Art Critics (ACAI), and the transnational circulations that shaped his vision — spanning Lebanon, Yugoslavia, and Portugal.

This talk sheds light on the tensions and synergies between art criticism and the museum in a postcolonial context, offering a new perspective on the transformation of Iraq’s artistic landscape between the 1950s and 1980s.

If you wish to attend the event remotely, you can join using the following link.

See full program here