(I) UNTITLED; (II) UNTITLED
ink on paper
double-sided
(i) & (ii) 24.4 x 37.1cm; 9 1/2 x 40 1/2in
(i) & (ii) 44.5cm x 57cm; 17 1/2in x 22 1/2in (framed)

Property of a Private Collector, London

Provenance
University of Cambridge School of Architecture: Corpus Christie
Aya Gallery, London (acquired 2006)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Issam El-Said (born Baghdad) was the son of Sabah Nuri El-Said and Esmat Fahmi, and grandson of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri El-Said Pasha, both of whom died during the Iraqi Revolution of 1958.

He earned a BA in Architecture from Cambridge in 1961, studied art in London, and began a PhD on geometric proportioning in Islamic architecture at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which remained unfinished at the time of his death. Key sections of his thesis were later published by the Issam El-Said Foundation under the title Islamic Art and Architecture: The System of Geometric Design in 1993.

El-Said co-authored books and contributed articles on Islamic art and architecture for international audiences. His creative pursuits, spanning painting, sculpture, calligraphy, design (including lamps, carpets, tiles, furniture), and architecture, etc reflected his dedication to Islamic cultural identity. He was also part of the Hurufiyya movement; by incorporating Kufi scripts to his creation, he addressed the traditional calligraphy from the perspective of modern Art.

Issam El-Said’s artworks are in private and public collections worldwide including the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad; the National Museum of Modern Art, Amman and the Darat al Funun - The Khalid Shoman Foundation (Amman, Jordan).