Miran al-Saadi
Miran al-Saadi was an Iraqi sculptor noted for producing monumental works for Baghdad's public spaces and for developing "in the field sculpture."
Life and career
Born 1934 in Baghdad, he graduated from the Baghdad Institute of Fine Arts in 1955. In the early 1960s, he was part of a group of Iraqi artists including Sadiq Rabie and Ismail Fatah Al Turk, Qasim al-Azzawi and Ghazi Saudi, who studied in Rome. He graduated in 1961.Al-Saadi's career coincided with a particularly turbulent period of Iraqi history. Shortly after his return to Baghdad, the reigning monarch was murdered, the monarchy abolished and a republic was established. Many artists fled Iraq at this time, however, al-Nasiri and a small group of eminent local artists, including Ismail Fatah Al Turk, Mohammed Ghani Hikmat and Khaled al-Rahal, remained in Baghdad.
The Ba'ath party became an important patron of the arts, and encouraged local visual artists to demonstrate a cultural connection between modern Iraqi people and ancient Sumerian peoples. Artists who were prepared to work within the Ba'athist agenda flourished, were awarded scholarships and given lucrative positions at the Ministry of Culture. Sculptors, in particular, benefited from a Ba'athist program to beautify the city of Baghdad with public monuments and statues. From the mid 1960s and throughout the 1970s, al-Saadi was commissioned to provide works that contributed to a sense of national identity while at the same time referencing Iraq's ancient art heritage.
His two most important sculptures are the Eagle Monument and the Statue of Antarah ibn Shaddad, both now located in public spaces in the city of Baghdad. He is also noted for developing "in the field sculpture."
Al-Saadi died in 1987, at the age of 53.