An outstanding piece in the May auction is an oil on canvas painting by Iraqi artist Dia Al-Azzawi (b. 1939). Al-Azzawi studied art in Baghdad, taking inspiration from ancient Middle Eastern mythology as well as Islam and Arabic culture, and worked in the city throughout the mid-20th century.
Al-Azzawi eventually moved out of Iraq in the 1970s and began working abroad, using painting as an outlet for feelings of despair he felt seeing the destruction of his homeland during the wars that plagued the country during the later 20th century. Now living between London and Dubai, Al-Azzawi maintains his status as one of the foremost globally successful Arab artists, and an influential icon in his home country.
Sold: $72,050
The painting in our May Modern + Contemporary Fine Art Auction is titled Sleeping Bird, estimated at $15,000–$20,000. In its abstraction, the hovering head of a beaked bird appears above an assortment of interpretive shapes below, faithful to distinctive Cubist style and vibrant color palette.
