1939    Born in Baghdad, Iraq

1962    BSc Archaeology, Baghdad University 

1964    BFA Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad 

1976    Moved to London, where he is still based

Dia al-Azzawi was born in 1939 and achieved a degree in archaeology at Baghdad University (1958–62), at the same time as a diploma from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad (1959–64). Azzawi worked as an archaeologist and museum curator, and also exhibited his work publicly from 1964 onwards, becoming a central figure in the development of modernist art in the Arab world. He was a member of several art movements: he founded the New Vision in 1969; joined the One Dimension Group in 1971; and, as secretary of the Iraqi Artists’ Society, established the pioneering al- Wasiti Festival in 1972.

In 1976, Azzawi moved to London and continued to forge ties with artists across the Arab world, curating numerous exhibitions as the artistic advisor to the Iraqi Cultural Centre. His work became deeply influenced by world politics and especially injustice in the Arab World, publicising and supporting the Palestinian cause and that of the Iraqi people. Azzawi’s work has long been influenced by Ancient Mesopotamia and the ethnography of Iraq, as well as modern Arabic literature and Islamic history. Although primarily known as a painter and draughtsman, Azzawi works in a huge variety of media, ranging from graphic design to monumental sculpture and both two- and three-dimensional printing and over 100 artist’s books. Approximately a quarter of these were recently displayed in Painting Poetry, a solo exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (December 2022–June 2023).

Azzawi’s work has been exhibited and collected by public and private institutions worldwide. In a recent retrospective exhibition (2016–17), over 500 works were shown at two museums in Doha, Qatar, spanning over half a century of this prolific artist’s career.

Selected Public Collections

Azzawi’s work has been exhibited and collected by public institutions worldwide, including the Arab Monetary Fund, Abu Dhabi; The Barjeel Collection, Sharjah; Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; The British Museum, London; Calouste Gulbenkian Collection, Lisbon; Colas Foundation, Boulogne; Fondation ONA, Casablanca; Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman; Kinda Foundation, Riyadh; King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah; Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Kuwait; Library of Congress, Washington D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA), Los Angeles; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad; Museum of Modern Art, Damascus; Museum of Modern Art, Tunis; Nabu Museum, Chekka (Lebanon); Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; Tate Modern, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The World Bank, Washington, D.C.