Author Description

This publication accompanies an exhibition titled All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Group for Modern Art which is the first focused presentation of this storied but understudied group. The exhibition depicts the vibrant development of modernism from the purview of Iraq, tracing a luminary network of artists, poets, and architects across three generations. Including rarely seen paintings, drawings, sculptures, architectural plans and a trove of archival material, the exhibition reflects their life and times through their art and trail of letters, manifestos, and press. Of the many legacies of this trailblazing Group, All Manner of Experiments emphasizes their binding principle of "istilham al-turath"-which translates to seeking inspiration from artistic heritage through innovation-a concept that remains pertinent to art and culture in the present. Alongside a lead essay by Shabout with Floyd, this publication features reflections on the legacies of the Group by participating artists. All these statements were recorded and translated by the writer Nabil Salih (CHRA '25), who also contributes a meditation on the presence of the Group in contemporary Baghdad, ending with a visit to Selim's grave.