Some of these works, by Jawad Salim or Faeq Hassan in particular, had disappeared in 2003 with thousands of pieces stolen from Iraqi museums and institutions which were looted and ransacked in the chaos following the American invasion which overthrew Saddam Hussein.

Organized criminal networks were then responsible for selling the stolen parts out of Iraq.

Found in Switzerland, the United States, Qatar or even Jordan, sculptures and paintings dating from the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s have been exhibited since the end of March in a large room in the Ministry of Culture.

"These works are part of the history of modern art in Iraq. They were created by the masters and pioneers of the plastic arts of the country," enthused Fakher Mohamed, a senior ministry official.

The 2003 invasion put an abrupt end to the artistic proliferation that characterized pre-war Iraq and in particular Baghdad, a city of poets, painters and artists of all stripes.

Saddam Hussein cultivated an image of a great patron, while repressing all political dissent.

View of the exhibition in a large hall of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, April 6, 2022 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE AFP

The descent into hell of the civil war of the years 2006-2008, then the occupation of part of Iraq by the jihadists of the Islamic State group between 2014 and 2017 gave him the coup de grace.

But today, thanks to relative stability, Baghdad's cultural and artistic scene is coming back to life, with book fairs, exhibitions and concerts.

This is also demonstrated by the exhibition organized at the Ministry of Culture.

Damaged canvases

Among the canvases of realistic, surrealist or expressionist inspiration, a picturesque scene in shimmering colors shows a boat sailing in front of the "mudhif", the traditional reed dwellings typical of the southern marshes.

Other paintings, in dark colors, depict terrified inhabitants surrounded by corpses, fleeing a burning village.

Elsewhere, it is a prostrate woman in a landscape of destruction, kneeling before an arm protruding from under stones.

There is also the wooden sculpture of a gazelle with undulating curves.

Or even "the maternal statue" of Jawad Salim, representing a long woman, with a slender neck and raised arms.

A wooden sculpture of a gazelle on display in a hall of the Ministry of Culture in Baghdad, April 6, 2022 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE AFP

The work, which is probably worth several hundred thousand euros, was found one day in the second-hand goods district of Baghdad by a seller who was unaware of its value, says the sculptor Taha Wahib, who for the to acquire paid... 200 dollars.

Paintings and sculptures had been stolen from the "Saddam Center for the Arts", one of Baghdad's prestigious cultural institutions.

The looters had sometimes cut canvases with a cutter to transport them more easily without the frame.

"Some pieces had been damaged during the events of 2003. Or they were stored in poor conditions for many years. They were restored in record time," Mohamed told AFP.

"Priceless Works"

Other works are still waiting for a second life, adds the manager, who aims to open other exhibition rooms to show the entire collection.

"Museums must be open to the public, these works must not remain prisoners of warehouses", he insists.

Of the 7,000 pieces stolen in 2003, some 2,300 were returned to Iraq, confides the artist Lamiaa al-Jawari, the curator of the exhibition who hopes one day to "show visitors all this artistic heritage".

Paintings by Iraqi painter Faeq Hassan are among the restored works of art on display in Baghdad on April 6, 2022 AHMAD AL-RUBAYE AFP

"Priceless works", is moved by the one who joined in 2004 a committee formed on the initiative of artists to find these heritage treasures.

"Some were recovered through official channels: the Swiss Embassy helped for example. Or through individuals," she says.

The last restitutions took place in 2021 and the authorities are coordinating their actions with Interpol to find the missing works, she said.

Ali Al-Najar, an 82-year-old artist who has lived in Sweden for two decades, is on vacation in his country of origin.

He salutes the scenography of the exhibition and emphasizes its importance: because "the pioneers are at the origin of everything. If we forget them, we lose the base".

© 2022 AFP