Jewad's Sculpture "Figure of a Nude Woman"
A letter from Lorna Selim (the wife of the artist) sheds light on this unique sculpture of Jewad Selim, which was created during his studies at Slade School London in the UK.
Figure of a Girl (1948) by Jewad SELIMIbrahimi Collection
"As soon as I saw the photographs, I thought that the figure must be by Jewad as I know his technique. So I looked through my photos of that date and found one with him actually modeling her. This must have been in his last year at the Slade School.
This was after I had left and was studying for the A.T.D. at the Senate house as I didn’t recognize the model.
It is possible that he sold it, or gave it to someone as it would have been difficult to transport it back to Baghdad when he left college.
He didn’t keep any of the plaster works done at the Slade, as they were only technical studies to be presented for the Slade Diploma.
It would have been very interesting to find out how it came to be in someone’s collection and why it is signed in Arabic as well as English.
I never expected to see any of Jewad’s college work again, I destroyed all of mine except one oil painting."
History
It was created in 1948, when Jewad Selim (1919 - 1961) was studying in the UK. He studied at Slade School in London, under Henry Moore and other English professors.
From 1946 till 1949, Jewad continued his artistic studies in sculpture in London and there he met a fellow artist who would become his wife, Lorna Selim (1928 - 2021).
At the end of 1949, Jewad Selim returned to Baghdad, after completing his studies in the UK and began teaching at the Institute of Fine Arts. Then, he founded the Department of Sculpture, which he headed until his death in January 23 1961.
Figure of a Nude Woman
Description:
Volume Sculpture of 85 cm in height - Gypsum Plaster.
Signed in Arabic and English and Dated 1948.
