Under the Palm Trees

This richly illustrated volume explores creativity in twentieth-century Iraqi art through the art collection of a pioneer architect.

Featuring works from artists such as Jewad Selim from the 1940s, the Baghdad Modern Art Group from the 1950s and 1960s and Iraqi artists in exile from 1980 onward, this volume showcases the collaboration of pioneer architect Mohamed Makiya with the Iraqi artists of his time, shedding light on the relationship between art and architecture and its role in shaping modern Iraqi society. Moreover, the Makiya collection gives a glimpse of the trajectory of Iraqi art during the first half of the twentieth century. It also introduces Mohamed Makiya, a promoter of the art of his own country, to a wider global audience.Ahmed Naji is an independent researcher in art history and a scholar on recent art history in the Middle East, particularly Iraq. Naji worked at the Iraq Memory Foundation in Baghdad, was a cultural advisor for the Public Affairs Office at the US Embassy in Baghdad, and served as executive officer of the Humanitarian Dialogue Foundation until 2012.