Saleh al-Jumai'e

In 1979, he left Iraq for political reasons, and in 1981 he and his family settled in Almeda, California where he worked as a freelance graphic artist.

The idea of tracks left by tradition is a theme that Jumaie takes up in much of his work. For example, Pages from Old Books is a series of mixed media artworks that creates an illusion of surfaces on which fragments of script have been written. The notion of traces is particularly evident in one of his best-known works, Bullet Trace (1967); a powerful work that deals with the shock of the six day war.

In 1965, shortly after graduating, al-Jumai'e co-founded the artists' group known as the 'Innovationists'. This group, which was short-lived, lasting just four years, consisted of a younger artists including: Salim al-Dabbagh, Faik Husein and Ali Talib, who along with Al-Jumaie began using new media in highly experimental ways.

In 1965, he was nominated for a Ministry of Education scholarship which allowed him to study at the Californian College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Following his return to Baghdad, he co-founded another artists' group. The Al-Ru’yah al-Jadida ['New Vision Group']. Founded in 1968, by al-Jumai'e along with artists Ismail Fatah Al Turk; Muhammed Muhr al-Din, Hashimi al-Samarchi, Rafa al-Nadiri and Dia Azzawi, the group represented a free art style where many artists believed that they needed to be true to their own era, and encouraged the idea of freedom of creativity within a framework of heritage.

Al-Jumaie and his cohort including Amer al-Obaidi, Salman Abbas and Nida Kadhim became the group of artists that defined 1960s Iraqi art. Although al-Jumaie is best remembered as a painter, he also designed posters and produced a number of book covers. His early work features Arabic lettering, but over time the calligraphy became fainter.

Saleh al-Jumai'e (b. 1939 Saweira, Iraq) is an Iraqi artist noted for his works that explore the notion of tracks left by ancient heritage. His works often integrate Arabic calligraphy in an abstract artwork.

Saleh al-Jumai'e was born in 1939 in Saweira, Iraq. He was among the first generation of students to graduate from the new Academy of Fine Arts in 1962. He and his cohort were taught by the first generation of contemporary Iraqi artists including Hafidh al-Droubi and Jawad Saleem, who promoted the idea of integrating ancient heritage within abstract artworks. Before long, the younger artists, including Al-Jumaie rebelled against traditional art styles and wanted to explore the use of new materials and media such as collage, aluminum and mono-type.