The NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Art Gallery has reopened All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group and extended the exhibition through January 3, 2027. Curated by renowned art historian, Senior Investigator at al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art and faculty at NYUAD Nada Shabout, the exhibition will be accompanied by new public programming this fall.
The reopening offers audiences further opportunity to experience an exhibition examining the legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, founded in 1951 by Jewad Selim (1919-1961) and Shakir Hassan Al Said (1925-2004). Bringing together painting, sculpture, works on paper, and extensive archival materials, the exhibition traces the Group’s development of a new visual language rooted in Iraq’s artistic and cultural heritage, as well as its continuing influence on generations of Iraqi artists in Iraq and across the global diaspora.
For the fall public program, the Art Gallery will present a series of Saturday afternoon lectures and conversations. The series will explore themes raised by the exhibition, including the Baghdad Modern Art Group’s approach to drawing on tradition, the role of archives in documenting modern Arab art history, alternative modernities across the region, and the contributions and experiences of women artists. The program will also include a screening of From Istanbul to Cairo: A Thousand Ways of Being Modern, followed by a discussion.
All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group was originally organized by the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard). The presentation at CCS Bard’s Hessel Museum of Art was curated by Nada Shabout with Tiffany Floyd and Lauren Cornell.
Exhibition and Public Programming Listings
Exhibition: All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group
Dates: Until January 3, 2027
Admission: Free
Gallery hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12-8 PM
Exhibition page: Click here for more details
Modern Arab Archives: A conversation with Jonathan Burr and Maysa Shaer
Date & Time: Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Venue: Art Gallery Reading Room, A4
Event Description:
In collaboration with al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art, this event is a conversation between Maysa Shaer, Research Assistant at al Mawrid, and guest speaker Jonathan Burr, al Mawrid’s archivist who works to digitize and preserve collection materials. Drawing on their respective experiences with archival research and preservation, the speakers will discuss the role archives play in documenting and understanding modern Arab art history.
Istilham al-Turath: A Discussion with Nada Shabout
Date & Time: Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Venue: Art Gallery Reading Room, A4
Event Description:
Dr. Nada Shabout, curator of All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group and Visiting Professor of Art History at NYU Abu Dhabi, will explore the concept of Istilham al-turath (drawing on tradition), first articulated by Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said, founders of the Baghdad Modern Art Group. She will discuss how the group turned this idea into a modern method of art-making rooted in Iraq's history and symbolism, helping the artists move toward abstraction while asserting a distinctly Iraqi perspective. This will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Maya Allison, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.
Film Screening – From Istanbul to Cairo: A Thousand Ways of Being Modern
Date & Time: Thursday, October 8, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Venue: Film Screening Room, C3-B101
Event Description:
In connection with our re-launched Fall exhibition, All Manner of Experiments, The NYUAD Art Gallery is organizing a special screening of the documentary "From Istanbul to Cairo: A Thousand Ways of Being Modern" (D'Istanbul au Caire, mille manières d'être moderne), directed by Ilana Navaro. The documentary explores how late 19th- and 20th-century artists from the region developed alternative modernities, featuring contributions from key art historians—including Nada Shabout.
Careers in Iraqi Modern Art and Beyond: A Talk by Artist Hanaa Malallah
Date & Time: Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Venue: Art Gallery Reading Room, A4
Event Description:
Dr. Nada Shabout, curator of All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, will be joined by artist Hanaa Malallah for a conversation on women artists within and beyond the Baghdad Modern Art Group. Malallah, an Iraqi artist, researcher, and educator based in London, studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad and later earned an MA and PhD from the University of Baghdad.
