Doha exhibition sheds new light on Baghdad’s Modern Art Group

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha is set to present the history and legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group through a new exhibition titled “What Lingers in the Artist Mind: Experiments and Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group,” opening on October 25, 2026.

The exhibition features artworks, documents and archival materials that trace the group’s artistic and intellectual journey since its establishment in 1951 by Iraqi artists Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said.

It examines the evolution of the group’s artistic approach and its links with artists and architects, while also exploring how political upheaval and successive wars in Iraq affected the survival and preservation of artworks and archival records.

The exhibition further situates the Baghdad Modern Art Group within the wider history of Iraqi and international modernism, highlighting its contribution to the development of Iraq’s modern visual arts movement.