Ending 7th Jun, 2026 16:00
Olympia Timed: Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art 2026
375
⊕ NADIRA AZZOUZ (IRAQI 1927-2020)
ON THE STAGE
signed Nadira in Arabic lower left; inscribed on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
45.6 x 35.8cm; 17 7/8 x 14in
53.8 x 43.5; 21 1/4 x 17 1/8in (framed)
Executed in 2008
Property of a Private Collector, Cheltenham
Born in Mosul, Nadira Azzouz studied fine art at the School of Domestic Fine Arts in Baghdad from 1944-49, and at the Central School of Art in London from 1957-60, where she gained a BA in Painting. In 1960 Azzouz staged her first solo show in Baghdad, and became an active member of the Society of Iraqi Plastic Arts. Azzouz actively progressed her artistic training by studying still life and freehand in Cambridge, before moving to Beirut to raise her children.
Like many Iraqi artists of her generation who had studied abroad, often in the West, Azzouz’s artistic practice was informed by the canon of 20th century international modernism. Concurrently, Azzouz’s oeuvre carries a distinctively Iraqi identity, as seen in the influence of ancient Iraqi sculptural forms, as well as medieval Arab illuminated manuscripts and the folklorish motifs of handicrafts, rugs and textiles of her homeland.
Sold for £300
ON THE STAGE
signed Nadira in Arabic lower left; inscribed on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
45.6 x 35.8cm; 17 7/8 x 14in
53.8 x 43.5; 21 1/4 x 17 1/8in (framed)
Executed in 2008
Property of a Private Collector, Cheltenham
Born in Mosul, Nadira Azzouz studied fine art at the School of Domestic Fine Arts in Baghdad from 1944-49, and at the Central School of Art in London from 1957-60, where she gained a BA in Painting. In 1960 Azzouz staged her first solo show in Baghdad, and became an active member of the Society of Iraqi Plastic Arts. Azzouz actively progressed her artistic training by studying still life and freehand in Cambridge, before moving to Beirut to raise her children.
Like many Iraqi artists of her generation who had studied abroad, often in the West, Azzouz’s artistic practice was informed by the canon of 20th century international modernism. Concurrently, Azzouz’s oeuvre carries a distinctively Iraqi identity, as seen in the influence of ancient Iraqi sculptural forms, as well as medieval Arab illuminated manuscripts and the folklorish motifs of handicrafts, rugs and textiles of her homeland.
Auction: Olympia Timed: Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art 2026, ending 7th Jun, 2026
If you want to start collecting striking modern and contemporary art in a newly developing market, our sales are for you. Each spring and autumn, the Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Department hold tightly curated, live and online auctions. Expect to find Arab artists such as Rabab Nemr, Ahmed Farid, Seif Wanly and Fateh Moudarres. African artists featured have ranged from modern masters such as Ablade Glover, Sam Ntiro and Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, to contemporary artists George Lilanga, Jilali Gharbaoui, Famakan Magassa, Christano Mangovo, Oluwole Omofemi, Esther Mahlangu and Brett Seiler.
