Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha is preparing to open an exhibition titled “What Lingers in the Artist Mind: Experiments and Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group” on October 25, 2026.
The exhibition brings together artworks and archival materials documenting the history and enduring legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, founded in 1951 by Iraqi artists Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said.
It traces the group’s artistic and intellectual development, while examining its connections with artists and architects and the impact of war and instability in Iraq on the preservation of artworks and archival records.
The exhibition also places the Baghdad Modern Art Group within the wider history of Iraqi and international modernism, highlighting the significance of its artistic experience and its lasting influence on modern art.
