London – Good and Evil, An Abstraction by Jewad Selim achieved an impressive £838,750 – a new world record for a work by the artist – at Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art including Baghdadiyat Part II sale yesterday (17 November) at New Bond Street, London. The work, which was from the collection of the renowned architects Nizar Jawdat (1920-2017) and Ellen Jawdat (1921-2020), had a pre-sale estimate of £120,000 - £250,000.

The 92-lot sale, which was the second instalment of one of the most significant selections of Iraqi Modernism ever to come to auction, made a total of £2,442,088, with 80% sold by lot and 96% sold by value.

Nima Sagharchi, Bonhams Director of Islamic, Middle Eastern and South Asian Art, commented: "The first part of this auction, held in June 2021, saw numerous world record prices established for key Iraqi artists, and the resurfacing of some of the most important examples of Iraqi modernism ever documented. We are delighted that we were able to build upon this success with part II and achieve such impressive results some of the most rare, treasured, and recognisable examples of Iraqi modernism. We are particularly proud to have set a new world record for a work by the 'father of Iraqi modernism' Jewad Selim, an artist whose work Bonhams has always championed."

The works came from the collections of renowned architects Nizar and Ellen Jawdat and Said Ali Madloom, and also from the family of Jewad Selim. The sale included landmark works from 'the pioneers' of Iraqi Modernism – including Jewad Selim (1919-1961), Dia Azzawi (1939-), Kadhim Hayder (1932-1985), Faeq Hassan (1914-1992), Ismael Fattah (1934-2004) and Shakir Hassan Al-Said (1925-2004). The curated selection provided a broad and expansive account of Iraqi art, with a specific focus on Baghdadi art from the 1950s-60s.

Jewad Selim's Good and Evil, An Abstraction was originally painted in 1951 as a study for a mosaic-mural commissioned by the Iraqi Red Crescent Society for their Baghdad headquarters, a building designed by the Jawdats themselves. It has remained in the family since its composition.

Other highlights from the sale included:

• Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961), Man and Horse. Sold for £200,250.

• Charles Hossein Zenderoudi (Iran, Born 1937), DAL+DAL+DAL. Sold for £125,250.

• Dia Azzawi (Iraq, Born 1939), From the South: Siesta. Sold for £112,750.

• Dia Azzawi (Iraq, Born 1939), Sorrowful Visions. Sold for £97,750.

• Marcos Grigorian (Iran, 1925-2007), Convergence. Sold for £ 94,000.

• Sohrab Sepehri (Iran, 1928-1980), Untitled (From the Tree Series). Sold for £89,000.

18 November 2021