Mohammed Ghani Hikmat
Iraqi sculptor and artist
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Key Takeaways
- Mohammad Ghani Hikmat (April 20, 1929 – September 12, 2011) (Arabic: محمد غني حكمت ) was an Iraqi sculptor and artist credited with creating some of Baghdad's highest-profile sculptures and monuments and was known as the "sheik of sculptors".
- He was also instrumental in recovering many of Iraq's missing artworks, which were looted following the 2003 invasion.
- As a young boy, he liked to mould objects out of clay that he found in his surroundings and his talent was soon noticed.
- He spent seven years in Italy, where he also studied bronze casting at the Instituto di Zaka in Florence.
- On his return to Baghdad in 1961, he found a city that had undergone substantial change.
Mohammad Ghani Hikmat (April 20, 1929 – September 12, 2011) (Arabic: محمد غني حكمت) was an Iraqi sculptor and artist credited with creating some of Baghdad's highest-profile sculptures and monuments and was known as the "sheik of sculptors". He is also known as an early member of Iraq's first 20th-century art groups, including Al-Ruwad (the Pioneers) and The Baghdad Modern Art Group; two groups that helped to bridge the gap between tradition and modern art. He was also instrumental in recovering many of Iraq's missing artworks, which were looted following the 2003 invasion.
Life and career
Ghani was born in 1929 in the Kadhimiya neighbourhood of Baghdad. As a young boy, he liked to mould objects out of clay that he found in his surroundings and his talent was soon noticed.
He graduated from the Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad in 1953, before completing his studies in 1957 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Italy. He spent seven years in Italy, where he also studied bronze casting at the Instituto di Zaka in Florence. While in Rome, he sculpted the wooden gates for the Church of Testa di Lepre, becoming the first Muslim sculptor to produce work for the Catholic Church.
On his return to Baghdad in 1961, he found a city that had undergone substantial change. The King had been deposed and killed in a military coup in July 1958, and several coups followed culminating in the rise of the Ba'ath Party in 1968. Ghani continued to work, teaching at the Institute of Fine Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts and at the Department of Architectural Engineering at Baghdad University.
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