Sua'd Salim (Hajj Su'ad Salim, Arabic: سعاد سليم b.1918, Ankara d. 2001, Iraq) was an Iraqi artist and cartoonist who is noted for designing the coat of arms for the Iraqi Republic along with other medals and badges of honour.
Life and career Sua'd Salim was born in Ankara, Ottoman Empire in 1918 to Iraqi parents.Ministry of Culture (Iraq Ministry of Culture, Culture and Arts in Iraq: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the July 17–30 Revolution, Iraq, Ministry of Culture and Arts, 1978, p. 23; Ali, W., Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, University of Florida Press, 1997, p. 47; Some sources claim that he was born in Baghdad in 1918 (e.g. “Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337, however this seems unlikely since his father was stationed in Ankara until the early 1920s and his younger siblings, Jawad Saleem and Naziha Salim were all born in Ankara, Turkey.
His parents were both originally from Mosul in Northern Iraq,Shabout, N. (ed), A Century of Iraqi Art, Bonham's of London, 2015 [Illustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015 but his father, Mohammed Hajji Selim, a military officer with the Ottoman army, had been stationed in Ankara at the time of his birth.Metcher-Atassi, S., "Munif's Interest in Modern Art, Friendship, Symbolic Exchange and the Art of the Book," The MIT Electronic Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Spring, 2007, pp 99-116 The family returned to Baghdad in the 1920s, when the children were relatively young.Shabout, N. (ed), A Century of Iraqi Art, Bonham's of London, 2015 [Illustrated Catalog to accompany sale, Monday 20 April 2015 His father was an amateur artist who later taught drawing to the children of King Ghazi.“Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337 His mother was an artist and a skilled embroiderer and his siblings, Jawad, Nizar and Naziha all became notable Iraqi artists in their own right.Ministry of Culture, Iraq, Culture and Arts in Iraq: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the July 17–30 Revolution, Iraq, Ministry of Culture and Arts, 1978, p. 23
He grew up in the Haidarkhana district of Baghdad and was educated at the Ma’mouniyah Primary School, the Alsharqiya School and the College of Law. After graduating, he worked as a cartoonist for several Iraqi newspapers and magazines and also worked as an art teacher. In the 1940s, he left teaching and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.“Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
He was actively involved in the Iraqi arts scene, was one of the founders of the Friends of Iraqi art, and regularly participated in its exhibitions.“Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
Personal life He married Madiha, the sister of Abdul Jabbar Mahmoud, the personal pilot of King Ghazi.“Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337
Work He is credited with introducing colour into some of his caricatures appearing in newspapers and magazines.Ministry of Information, Iraq Contemporary Art, 1977, p. 49 However, he is noted for designing medals and badges of honour. His most significant designs include:“Suad Salim [Biographical Notes], Ibrahimi Collection, http://ibrahimicollection.com/node/337 Insignia for the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Iraq Al-Rafidian collar Order of Al-Rafidian Medal of Courage Silver Jubilee for the establishment of the Iraqi Army Martyr’s medal
See also Islamic art Iraqi art List of Iraqi artists
References
External links Modern Art Archive – reproductions of artworks many of which were destroyed or looted in 2003 and cannot be found in any other collection
Further reading
Bloom, J. and Blair, S.S. (eds), Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture, vol. 2, OUP, 2009, p. 290