Muqbil Al-Zahawi

Al-Zahawi undertook his last exhibition in 1998 at the age of 63 at Galerie de la Tour in Altkirch, France.

In 1994 he had a received a fairly large commission for a collective show at the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California. Of the exhibition, a critic said that "Among the dimensions that Zahawi's methods bring to his work are not only the clear signs of the artist's hands seen on every piece but include a generous measure of the artist's emotional attitudes in all their variety. You will find sculptures that speak of power and strength, of sensuality, of calligraphy and ancient knowledge, and of delightful bits of whimsy."

Al-Zahawi ushered in the 1980s with several successful exhibitions including one in Sion, Switzerland in 1980. However, Al-Zahawi left Geneva in 1982 and took a prolonged hiatus that saw him exhibit only a handful of times in California and later Cairo, where he had relocated with his family.

His 1977 exhibit offered an opportunity for Al-Zahawi to reengage his roots through his art. The exhibition showcased a number of unique pieces, and as a result of his hard work, the show was a resounding success, receiving patrons from all over Baghdad. Some of his pieces were eventually purchased for permanent acquisition by the Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad and National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman, Jordan. Though this exhibition would be the last time Al-Zahawi would return to his native Iraq, given the political instability that beleaguered the nation, his love for Iraq remained steadfast and continued to be visible in his art thereafter.

In 1973 Al-Zahawi received a rare opportunity to undertake a one-man show in Neuchatel, Switzerland in the large exhibition halls of the Musee d’Art et d’Historie. What concerned him was the imbalance between the floor pieces and the abundance of bare wall space. He confided in Glyn Uzzell who suggested that Al-Zahawi try wall reliefs to complement his sculptures. He began to try his hands at various relief sizes, sketching each block before bringing his sketches to life.

By the late 1970s Al-Zahawi's art was a juxtaposition between the populist fervor of Pan-Arabism, the Decolonization of Africa, and rise of a new brand of nationalism, Ba'athism, in Iraq, contrasted with the influences of Western sculptors and painters including Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso. While Al-Zahawi had resided outside of the Middle East since 1952, he did have the opportunity to exhibit in Iraq in 1974 and again in 1977 at the behest of the Iraqi government.

After several years abroad, Al-Zahawi returned to Geneva in 1967 to begin working with the International Telecommunication Union. During this time, Al-Zahawi found fortune exhibiting all over Switzerland and Europe. He also began to experiment with new techniques including enlarging his sculptures and coloring his creations with his proprietary staining method. One of his most notable exhibitions of this period in the 1960s was a one-man show at the prestigious Musee Ariana in Geneva. His work was well received and some of his pieces were later acquired by the Museum as part of their permanent collection.

Al-Zahawi's early works took on more simplistic designs, extenuated by smoother lines, colorless texture (lacking stain), and relatively uniform spaces. This began to change when Al-Zahawi was introduced to primitive art, especially African Art through visits to the British Museum among other galleries and museums. African sculpture had a profound influence on his art thereafter. He would later travel and live in Africa (1965-1967) as a civil servant for the United Nations' mission in the Congo, only serving to reinforce his love and admiration of African art.

1964, 1970, 1974 - Galerie Contemporaine | Geneva, Switzerland 1968, 1971 - Hotel Intercontinental] | Geneva, Switzerland 1969 - Salle Simon, I, Patino | Geneva, Switzerland 1972 - Musee Bellerive | Zurich, Switzerland 1974 - Galerie Maurice Colle & Cie | Geneva, Switzerland 1974 - Museum of Modern Art | Baghdad, Iraq 1976 - Biennale de Venise | Venice, Italy 1978 - Musee Rath | Geneva, Switzerland 1980 - Musee de l'Athenee | Geneva, Switzerland 1980 - Parc de la Mairie de Venier | Geneva, Switzerland 1981 - Palais d'Exposition (Artisites Suisses) | Delemont, Switzerland 1992 - Mandel Co. – Pacific Design Center | Los Angeles, California (US) 1992 - Mandel Co. Design Center | Laguna Niguel, California (US)

After completing his post-graduate diploma at University College London and studied at the Center School of Art, Al-Zahawi began Ph.D. studies at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Here, his art began to flourish and receive critical acclaim. His first one-man show took place at Galerie Club and Galerie Connaitre in 1962. During this time he also forged close bonds with the artists at Galerie Contemporaine in Carouge, Geneva including Glyn Uzzell, where he became one of the permanent artists from 1964–1982. Glyn Uzzell said, "when Muqbil Zahawi presented his first exhibition of ceramic sculpture in Geneva in 1962, it was immediately clear that one was in the presence of a highly original artist."

1962 - Galerie Club | Geneva, Switzerland 1962 - Galerie Connaitre | Geneva, Switzerland 1964, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1980 - Galerie Contemporaine | Geneva, Switzerland 1965 - Paul Rivas Gallery | Los Angeles, California (US) 1969 - Musee de l'Ariana | Geneva, Switzerland 1969 - Larsen Gallery | New York (US) 1971 - Ansdell Gallery | London, UK 1971 - Studio 5 | New York (US) 1973 - d’Art et d’Historie | Neuchatel, Switzerland 1976 - Galerie de le Cathedrale | Fribourg, Switzerland 1977, 1980 - Galerie Grand Fontaine | Sion, Switzerland 1977 - Museum of Modern Art | Baghdad, Iraq 1978 - Galerie Nydegg | Berne, Switzerland 1980 - Galeria Picpus | Montreux, Switzerland 1991 - Laguna Village | Laguna Beach, California (US) 1992, 1993 - Artist Studio | Cairo, Egypt 1994 - Riverside Art Museum | Riverside, California (US) 1998 - Galerie de la Tour | Altkirch, France

Alongside these influences was Al-Zahawi's background as an Iraqi and a Muslim. As a firm believer in Pan-Arabism and the zeitgeist of the 1960s and 1970s, his art began to reflect a sense of nationalism and historical significance. This related not only political sentiments but also religious narratives. It is "no coincidence that the climax of [his] body of work, with their tense and vibrant shapes, coincided with the effects of the volatile political landscape of his day."

In 1958 Al-Zahawi moved to London to begin his post-graduate studies at the University College London in international relations, while simultaneously enrolling at London's Central School of Art and Design. At the Central School of Art, he studied terracotta ceramic sculptures, where he selected the coiling method. Through coiling, he felt he had complete control over the power evoked from his sculptures, which could not be achieved by the pinching method or throwing on a mechanical wheel.

Al-Zahawi was born in Baghdad, Iraq, the son of an Iraqi lawyer from a prominent family of Kurdish origin, Dhafir Al-Zahawi, whose grand-uncle was the progressive Iraqi poet and scholar, Jamil Sidqi Al-Zahawi. As a budding artist, Al-Zahawi in the late 1950s began experimenting with several artistic mediums, eventually selecting ceramic sculptures constructed using the method of coiling. His forms have been described as "ancient", "whimsical", "sensual", "aggressive", and "powerful" all achieved through the textures, hollow spaces, earthy hues, and angular shapes that define this body of work.

Muqbil Al-Zahawi was born in Baghdad, Iraq to Dhafir Al-Zahawi and Najia Baban, the last of seven children. His father was an Iraqi lawyer hailing from a long line of prominent Iraqis, which included bureaucrats, religious authorities (Mufti), poets, and scholars of Kurdish origin. He lived in Baghdad and attended the Jesuit's Baghdad College as well as the Institute of Fine Arts as an aspiring pianist. In 1950, at the age of 15 years old, Al-Zahawi moved to Cairo, Egypt with his mother. The popular uprising that overthrew King Farouk in 1952 and the eventual rise of the populist leader, Gamal Abdel-Nasser, instilled a sense of pride and patriotism in Al-Zahawi, which heavily influenced his life and his art. After moving to Santa Ana, California in 1952, he pursued different creative enterprises from drawing to fashion, music to acting, and eventually graduated with a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California in 1957.

Muqbil Al-Zahawi (born 1 April 1935) (Arabic, مقبل الزهاوى) is an Iraqi ceramicist. His creative and powerful sculptures and reliefs have been exhibited in museums, galleries, international shows, studios, and private residences throughout the U.S., Western Europe, and the Middle East. Al-Zahawi's works derive inspiration from African Art, select Western artists, and his background as an Iraqi Muslim.