Khaled Al-Rahal (also given as Khālid al-Raḥḥāl, 1926–1987) () was an Iraqi painter and sculptor and one of the leaders of the modern art movement in Iraq. Described as one of the "pillars of modern Iraqi art," he was responsible for executing a number of high-profile public monuments in Baghdad in the mid-20th century.
Life and career Born in Baghdad in 1926 into a poor family, Khaled al-Rahal grew up on Baghdad's streets and alleyways which became an important influence on his life and art.Jabra, J.I., Grass Roots of Iraqi Art, Wasit Graphic and Publishing, 1983, p. 68; Dougherty, B.K. and Ghareeb, E.A. (eds), Historical Dictionary of Iraq, Scarecrow Press, 2013, p.495 He was an acute observer of daily Iraqi life, and a regular visitor to the Iraqi Museum, established in 1939, where he showed great interest in Iraq's ancient sculptures, particularly Assyrian and Mesopotamian reliefs. Even before he studied art academically, his sculpture had developed a mature artistic vision, grounded in Mesopotamian art traditions.Jabra, J.I., Grass Roots of Iraqi Art, Wasit Graphic and Publishing, 1983, p. 69
During the Anglo-Iraqi War, he was just a teenager when the first signs of an art revival began in Baghdad. A group of Polish artists, mainly impressionists, had sought refuge in Baghdad, where they introduced local artists to European art. While, this created considerable enthusiasm for modern abstract art, it also left many local artists, including al-Rahal, searching for a way to integrate their ancient art traditions within modern, abstract artworks.Jabra, J.I., Art in Iraq Today, London, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, 1966, p. 68 Online:
Throughout the 1940s, al-Rahal maintained a studio in Baghdad's commercial district, where he made and sold busts of the Iraqi monarch and other works, all of which were very popular with the public.Shabout, N. "Collecting Modern Iraqi Art," in: Sonja Mejcher-Atassi, John Pedro Schwartz (eds), Archives, Museums and Collecting Practices in the Modern Arab World, Routledge, 23 May 2016 pp 198–199 The Iraqi artist, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, described his visit to al-Rahal's studio in the following terms:Jabra, J.I., Art in Iraq Today, London, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, 1966, p.6 Online:
At war's end, al-Rahal, by then in his early twenties, was part of a small group of talented, local artists who were granted scholarships to study art at the Baghdad Fine Arts Institute or abroad in either Paris or Rome.Bahrani, Z. and Shabout, N.M., mosm and Iraq, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery and Columbia University, 2009, p. 96; Jabra, J.I., Art in Iraq Today, London, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, 1966, p. 1 Online: Al-Rahal received his earliest formal education at Baghdad Institute of Fine Arts under the supervision of the eminent Iraqi sculptor, Jawad Saleem, graduating with a Diploma in Sculpting in 1947.Bahrani, Z. and Shabout, N.M., Modernism and Iraq, New York, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, 2009; p. 96; "Iraqi Artist: Khalid a;-Rahal" Isqueena (Online Art Magazine), 1 June 2013 Online:
Like many of his contemporaries, al-Rahal started out by working for the Iraq Museum under the Director of Antiquities, Naji al-Asil in the 1950s, where he was employed to make replicas of Iraq's ancient art pieces. During this period, he was commissioned to reproduce a bust of Sumerian Queen, Shuba'ad. He dressed her in royal jewelry from the Cemetery at Ur.Brown, B.A. and Feldman, M.H., Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art, Walter de Gruyter, 2014, p. 5 and p.xix The bust went on public display at the Museum, where it became an iconic image of Iraq's Sumerian past. Replicas of the bust were sold in tourist outlets and the figure became one of the most reproduced images in Iraqi art, being used on postcards, posters, souvenirs and in popular art.Bajjaly, J.G. (ed), The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq, Boydell & Brewer, 2008, p.29; Peter G. Stone, Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly (eds), The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq, Boydell & Brewer, 2008, p.29
In 1953 al-Rahal joined Jama’et Baghdad lil Fen al-Hadith (The Baghdad Modern Art Group) founded in 1951, by his friend and mentor, Jawad Saleem, along with the artist and intellectual, Shakir Hassan Al Said.Baram, A., Culture, History and Ideology in the Formation of Ba'thist Iraq,1968–89, Springer, 1991, pp 69–70; Shabout, N.,"Shakir Hassan Al Said: Time and Space in the Work of the Iraqi Artist – A Journey Towards One Dimension," Nafas Art Magazine, May, 2008, Online:; Lack, J., Why Are We 'Artists'?: 100 World Art Manifestos, Penguin, 2017, [E-book edition], n.p. See section M52 The group, which would have a far-reaching impact on Iraqi art sought to bridge the gap between modernity and tradition, by developing a distinctive Iraqi art aesthetic which employed modern techniques, but at the same time referenced its ancient heritage and tradition.Ulrike al-Khamis, “An Historical Overview 1900s–1990s,” in: Maysaloun, F. (ed.), Strokes of Genius: Contemporary Iraqi Art, London:, Saqi Books, 2001, p. 25; Baram, A., Culture, History and Ideology in the Formation of Ba'thist Iraq,1968–89, Springer, 1991, pp 70–71 Hassan, the group's leader promoted the idea of istilham al-turath – "seeking inspiration from tradition" and wrote a manifesto for the group.Shabout, N., "Jewad Selim: On Abstraction and Symbolism," in Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online: http://www.encyclopedia.mathaf.org.qa/en/essays/Pages/Jewad-Selim,-On-Abstraction-and-Symbolism.aspx Al-Khalel was an ardent admirer of Jawad Saleem and committed to his ideals.Makiya, K. and Al-Khalilm S., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, p, 95
In the early 1960s, he was awarded another scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, which further exposed him to the fundamentals of European sculpture. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts in 1964.Bahrani, Z. and Shabout, N.M., Modernism and Iraq, New York, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, 2009; p. 96 He remained in Rome throughout most of the 1960s,Jabra, J.I., Grass Roots of Iraqi Art, Wasit Graphic and Publishing, 1983, pp 68–69 and produced several public works for the city of Rome.
Around the time of his return to Baghdad, the reigning monarch was murdered, the monarchy abolished and a republic established. While many artists fled Iraq at this time, al-Khaled decided to remain in Baghdad.Brown, B.A. and Feldman, M.H. (eds), Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art,Walter de Gruyter, 2014 p.20 The Ba'ath party became an important patron of the arts, and encouraged local visual artists to demonstrate a cultural connection between modern Iraqi people and ancient Sumerian peoples."Iraq: Arts" Encyclopedia Britannica, Online: Under, Saddam Hussein, the Ba'ath Party co-opted the Baghdad Modern Art Group because its objectives aligned with their vision of a National Arab identity. Artists who were members of Baghdad's art groups were offered lucrative positions at the Ministry of Culture.Baram, A., Culture, History and Ideology in the Formation of Ba'thist Iraq,1968–89, Springer, 1991, pp 70–71 Sculptors, architects and engineers, in particular, benefited from Hussein's program to beautify the city of Baghdad as numerous public art works were commissioned. These works were designed to instil a sense of national pride within the population, as well as to immortalise the leader, Saddam Hussein.al-Kalil, S., Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq. Berkeley, University of California Press, pp 72–75
Al-Khaled, who more than any other artist, incorporated ancient Iraqi motifs in his artwork, flourished in Ba'athist Iraq. Throughout the 1970s, he designed several monuments commemorating historic Iraqi figures including: Abu Jafar al-Mansour,"Mosque blast blow to Iraq treasures," Aljazeera, Online: the 8th-century Abbasid Caliph and founder of Baghdad, the Lady of the Marshes, the March of the Ba'ath and Abd al-Karim Qasim, the Iraqi brigadier who overthrew the monarchy and established a republic in 1958 and also executed sculptures of everyday people such as Shaqawiyya (an Arab girl from southern Iraq)Makiya, K. and Al-Khalilm S., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, pp 1–2 and the Mother and Child statue.
He became Saddam Hussein's favourite sculptor and ultimately designed many of important, large-scale public monuments.Schroth, M-A. (ed.), Longing for Eternity: One Century of Modern and Contemporary Iraqi Art, Skira, 2014, p. 98; Brown, B.A. and Feldman, M.H. (eds), Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art,Walter de Gruyter, 2014 p.20; Weschler, L., Calamities of Exile: Three Nonfiction Novellas, University of Chicago Press, 1999, pp 10–12 In 1973, he was commissioned to design the March of the Ba'ath Monument a fountain with bronze relief that narrated most of Iraq's history.Brown, B.A. and Feldman, M.H. (eds), Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art,Walter de Gruyter, 2014 p.20
During the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein once again turned to his preferred sculptor to design two victory monuments; The Monument to the Unknown Soldier and the Swords of Qādisīyah (popularly known as the Victory Arch, both to be located at Zawra Park in remembrance of Iraq's pain and suffering during the war.Bloom, J. and Blair, S.S., Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture, Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 25; Borden, I. and Hall, R., The City Cultures Reader,Psychology Press, 2000, p. 104; Makiya, K. and Al-Khalilm S., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, IB Taurus, 2004, p. 28 The original concept for the Monument to the Unknown Soldier was Al-Khaled's original work, whereas the concept for the Victory Arch originated with Hussein while al-Kahal was left to work out the detailed design, always working in close collaboration with Hussein. The designs for both monuments included ancient and modern Arabic symbols of victory.Brian A. Brown, Marian H. Feldman (eds), Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art, Walter de Gruyter, 2014, p.20 The Monument to the Unknown Soldier was completed in 1982, but the Victory Arch was to be the sculptor's final work. The sculptor died before it was completed and his friend and assistant, Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, was left to finish the work.
Khaled al-Rahal died in Baghdad in 1987 and is buried beside the Monument of the Unknown Soldier.Agence Presse France, "Les Sculptures Disparaissent des Places de Bagdad," La Presse [Montreal] 26 June 2003, p. B6 (translated from French)
Work Al-Rahal has been described as Iraq's "most gifted sculptor."Faraj, M., Strokes Of Genius: Contemporary Iraqi Art, London, Saqi Books, 2001, p. 96 Kahalid al-Kishtyan, of the Iraqi Cultural Centre in London, described al-Rahal and his mentor, Jawad Salim, as "the two pillars of modern Iraqi art."Kahalid al-Kishtyan in 1981, cited in: Baram, A., "Culture in the Service of Wataniyya: The Treatment of Mesopotamian Art," Asian and African Studies, Vol. 17, Nos. 1–3, 1983, pp 265–309 and in Baram, A., Culture, History and Ideology in the Formation of Ba'thist Iraq,1968–89, Springer, 1991, p. 69
Al-Rahal's work was influenced by the sculptures of early Mesopotamian civilization, particularly those of Babylon and Assyria, and a characteristic feature of his busts and sculptures is that they have the same structure and facial features as the ancient figures. In an interview with the Government Daily, al-Rahhal expressed the view that the Iraqi people were the direct offspring of the ancient Sumerians, and was quoted:Khaled al-Rahal, quoted in: Baram, A., Culture, History and Ideology in the Formation of Ba'thist Iraq,1968–89, Springer, 1991, p. 73