Footnotes

Provenance:
Property from a private collection, Amman

Bonhams is delighted to present two fine works by Mohammed Ghani Hikmat; one of the most celebrated and beloved Iraqi sculptors of the 20th century. Ghani was not only an icon of Iraqi modern art but also an important advocate of the preservation of Iraq's cultural heritage. Ghani Hikmat became an influential figure in the Baghdad Group of Modern Art founded by his mentors and friends Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said. He studied at the Institute of Fine Art in Baghdad before being granted a state scholarship to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, graduating in 1959. Whilst he was in Italy, Ghani also studied metals at the Instituto di Zaka in Florence, specialising in casting bronze. Subsequently, Ghani returned to Baghdad and taught sculpture at the Institute of Fine Art and the College of Architectural Engineering at the University of Baghdad.

Ghani Hikmat drew a lot of his inspiration from Iraq's multifaceted heritage and his works have become symbolic of the nation itself. Baghdad held a significant place in Hikmat's practice and a result has become a signifier of the historic city and is remembered as one of the nation's treasures. He drew subject matter and stylistic inspiration from medieval Islamic art, literature and Mesopotamian figuration. Ghani was also heavily influenced by the Sumerian sculpture and ancient cylinder seals, which is detectable in a large some of his stylized reliefs done largely in wood.

Ghani was also known for his smaller statues carved in wood. The people of Baghdad were a major theme of these carvings. Many of these renderings were of women in traditional Iraqi Abaya clutching children, which was indicative of Hikmat's exploration of motherhood as an artistic theme. Yet others were low relief scenes of Iraqi daily life. The abstract figures, anatomy, the clothes and the general construction, all assume a free calligraphic form. All of these sculptures were executed in a simplified and abstracted manner. His fascination with the human form also endured as the artists' homage to Renaissance humanism. Ghani continued his exploration of these shapes in wood for the remainder of his long career.

Al-Mutanabbi is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential poets in the Arabic world. His works have been translated into over 20 international languages. Much of his poetry revolves around praising the kings he visited during his lifetime. Some consider his 326 poems to be a great representation of his life story. He started writing poetry when he was only nine years of age. He is well known for his sharp intelligence and wittiness. Al-Mutanabbi had great pride in himself through his poetry. Among the topics he discussed were courage, the philosophy of life, and the description of battles. Many of his poems were and still are widely spread in today's Arab world and are considered to be proverbial.