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Hafidh al-Droubi

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Professional Iraqi painter (1914-1991)
Hafidh al-Droubi
حافظ الدروبي
Hafidh al-Droubi at his studio, Baghdad, 1955.
Born1914
Baghdad, Ottoman Iraq
Died1991
Baghdad, Ba'athist Iraq
NationalityIraqi
EducationAccademia Reale, Rome (1936)
Goldsmiths College, London (1950)
Known forPainter, draughtsman and educator
MovementCubist; Impressionist

Hafidh al-Droubi (1914-1991) was an Iraqi painter and draughtsman, noted for his Cubist paintings and for his approach to professionalizing 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.

Life and career

Hafidh-al Droubi (also known as Hafez al-Droubi) was born in 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. His conservative family disapproved of his passion for painting which they considered the ‘work of the devil’. In the 1920s, his uncle regularly threatened to cut him off if he persisted with art. However, his allowance continued and he used the money to purchase art supplies.

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 was an early member of the Pioneers art group: Iraq's first formal arts society. He co-founded the first Iraqi Fine Art Society (also known as the Friends of Art) in 1941 which not only aimed to encourage social interaction between artists, but also to develop the artistic taste of the general public. This group also organized annual art exhibitions to promote the work of local artists. In 1953, he formed the Impressionists art collective, which consisted of his friends and some of his students including Dia Azzawi. In spite of its name, the group did not dictate that members follow impressionism exclusively, rather it encouraged artists to experiment with a variety of different styles.

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. As an art educator, al-Droubi was not committed to any particular style or genre. Instead, he encouraged his students to experiment with a variety of different styles.

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

Work

He was a highly experimental painter, at different times in his career he followed Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Futurism, but is arguably best known for using the Cubist works used to depict local themes.

While his techniques were primarily based on Western art movements, he never really abandoned Iraqi society and art traditions. He sought to adapt Western art for a uniquely Iraqi audience, culture and experience. He used Iraqi themes for his subject matter, preferring to paint scenes of everyday life. During the latter years of Hashemite rule in Iraq, he took advantage of Iraq’s social, political and economic ties with Britain to help forge a tapestry of cultural borrowing and adaptation, whilst preserving facets of Iraqi tradition and themes. Specifically, he painted scenes of Baghdad, its streets, its markets and its people; to the extent that he became known as the "City Painter".

Select list of major works

  • Life in Babylon, mural, formerly located in the Babylonian Rooms of the Old Museum
  • Life in Hattra, formerly located in the Babylonian Rooms of the Old Museum

Awards and recognition

At the Alwasiti Festival in 1972, al-Droubi was one of the four artists honored by the state.

See also

References

  1. Ferial Hussein 19 years on the departure of the artist Baghdad artist Hafez Aldroubi, Iraahurrm 10 March 2010, Online:
  2. Gilgamesh, Issue 2, Ministry of Information and Culture, 1990, p. 15 and p. 89
  3. Tejel, J., Writing the Modern History of Iraq: Historiographical and Political Challenges, World Scientific, 2012, p. 476; Floyd, T., "Hafidh Al-Droubi," Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:
  4. Floyd, T., "Hafidh Al-Droubi," Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:; "Hafidh al Droubi," Barjeel Foundation, Online:
  5. "Hafidh al Droubi," Barjeel Foundation, Online:
  6. Floyd, T., "Hafidh Al-Droubi," Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:
  7. Floyd, T., "Hafidh Al-Droubi," Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:; Floyd, Tiffany Renee. "Droubi, Hafidh al- (1914–1991)," The Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism, Taylor and Francis, 2016. Date Accessed 25 Jun. 2018 https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/droubi-hafidh-al-1914-1991. doi:10.4324/9781135000356-REM1565-1
  8. Aldabbagh, S., "From Yahya Alwasiti to Hafidh Aldroubi to Rafa Alnasira: Building Bridges," Contemporary Practice Art Journal, Vol. XI, pp 74-77, Online:
  9. Faraj, M., Strokes Of Genius: Contemporary Iraqi Art, London, Saqi Books, 2001, p. 43
  10. "Hafidh Al Droubi," British Museum,, Online:
  11. University of Baghdad, "The Emergence of the Faculty of Fine Arts," Online:
  12. Floyd, T., "Hafidh Al-Droubi," Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:
  13. Floyd, T. R., "Droubi, Hafidh al- (1914–1991)," in: Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism, 2017, DOI: 10.4324/9781135000356-REM1565-1 Online:
  14. Floyd, T., "Hafidh Al-Droubi," Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:
  15. Floyd, Tiffany Renee. "Droubi, Hafidh al- (1914–1991) ." The Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism. : Taylor and Francis, 2016. Date Accessed 25 Jun. 2018 https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/droubi-hafidh-al-1914-1991. doi:10.4324/9781135000356-REM1565-1
  16. Siba Aldabbagh, "From Yahya Alwasiti to Hafidh Aldroubi to Rafa Alnasira: Building Bridges," Contemporary Practice Art Journal, Vol. XI, pp 74-77, Online:
  17. Siba Aldabbagh, "From Yahya Alwasiti to Hafidh Aldroubi to Rafa Alnasira: Building Bridges," Contemporary Practice Art Journal, Vol. XI, pp 74-77, Online:
  18. Siba Aldabbagh, "From Yahya Alwasiti to Hafidh Aldroubi to Rafa Alnasira: Building Bridges," Contemporary Practice Art Journal, Vol. XI, pp 74-77, Online:
  19. Stone, P.G. and Bajjaly, J.G. (eds), The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq, Boydell & Brewer, 2008, p. 29
  20. Stone, P.G. and Bajjaly, J.G. (eds), The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq, Boydell & Brewer, 2008, p. 29
  21. Siba Aldabbagh, "From Yahya Alwasiti to Hafidh Aldroubi to Rafa Alnasira: Building Bridges," Contemporary Practice Art Journal, Vol. XI, pp 74-77, Online:

External links

  • Modern Art Iraq Archive Electronic resource maintained by Iraqi artists and includes reproductions of artworks, many of which were looted from the Museum of Modern Art in 2003 and remain missing. These works are not accessible in any other reliable public source.
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