01 painting, The amorous game, Hafidh Al Droubi's The Couple, with Footnotes #92

Hafidh Al Droubi (Iraqi, 1914-1991)

The Couple, c. 1976

Oil on canvas

25 x 347⁄8in. (63.5 x 88.5cm.)

Private collection

This work sold for GBP 30,240 on3 Nov 2022

Hafidh Al Droubi (1914-1991) was an Iraqi painter and draughtsman, noted for his Cubist paintings and for his approach to professionalising Iraqi art education in the early to mid 20th-century. He was a prolific painter, an important artist in the Pioneer generation, a key figure in the development of modernism in Iraq and a key figure in the development of early Iraqi art education.

Hafidh Al Droubi (also known as Hafez al-Droubi) was born Bab al-Sheikh in Baghdad in 1914. As a young student at the Bab Al-Sheikh Primary School, he was introduced to painting and drawing and learned the techniques of European academic art in terms of proportions, anatomy and perspective. 

In 1936, he received a scholarship to study in Rome, graduating from the Accademia Reale. Due to the outbreak of war, his studies were interrupted and he returned to Baghdad for a brief period, during which time he opened a free atelier in Baghdad, dedicated to giving aspiring artists access to studio space and resources for their practice. He served as the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad.

After the war, he returned to his art studies, enrolling at Goldsmiths College, London, and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950.

On his permanent return to Baghdad, he became very active in the formation and development of Iraq's arts community. He co-founded the first Iraqi Fine Art Society in 1941. In 1953, he formed the Impressionists art collective.

He was among the first group of teachers at the Baghdad College of Fine Arts, and went on to become Dean of the Iraqi Fine Arts Academy.

Although he was a prolific painter, he is mainly remembered for his contribution to art education; professionalising the art industry and developing a coherent pedagogy for the teaching of art in the early to mid-20th century. More on Hafidh Al Droubi

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.