Mohammed bin Rashid congratulates the artist Diaa Al-Azzawi on winning an award "Geniuses of the Arabs 2024" For the category of literature and arts

Dubai, December 19 / WAM / His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, congratulated the artist Dia Al-Azzawi for winning the “Geniuses of the Arabs 2024” award, in the category of Literature and Arts.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a post on his Highness’s account on the “X” platform: “We congratulate the winner of the Arab Geniuses Award in the Literature and Arts category, the artist Diaa Al-Azzawi… from Iraq, where he was inspired by the heritage of Mesopotamia to present many artistic works that… His works were displayed in the most prominent museums and galleries in the world, and his works dealt with Arab humanitarian issues and combined calligraphy, poetry, and heritage in a contemporary artistic style.”
His Highness added: “We congratulate the artist Dia Al-Azzawi on his victory, and we celebrate his creativity that has inspired generations and made Arab art an influential global message.”

Over the course of more than half a century of his artistic and creative career, the artist, innovator and pioneer of contemporary Arab art, Dia Al-Azzawi, was a model of the comprehensive artist who carried Arab culture and heritage to the four corners of the world through different and varied artistic works.
The “Arab Geniuses” Award, the largest of its kind in the Arab world, highlights the pioneering cultural and humanitarian role of distinguished Arab figures and their luminous creativity, which constitute inspiring milestones in six vital categories: literature and arts, architecture and design, medicine, economics, natural sciences, engineering and technology.
The artist Dia Al-Azzawi from Iraq represents the image of the creative, holistic artist who combined art, sculpture, Arabic crafts, culture, and archeology in his works that he completed over more than half a century.
He is a pioneering visual artist in modern Arab art. He has made exceptional contributions to the development of contemporary Arab art over more than five decades. He is distinguished by employing Arabic calligraphy, poetry and Arab culture in modern works of art, which has made him an artistic beacon and a global creative figure in the field of blending heritage with modernity.

Al-Azzawi also contributed to highlighting the Arab cultural identity through his artistic works that dealt with issues of memory, steadfastness, and adherence to homelands.
The artist Diaa Al-Azzawi presented artistic works that had a qualitative impact on contemporary Arab art and were displayed in major international exhibitions, which established his position as a symbol of modern Arab art.
Al-Azzawi’s artwork is available in prominent international collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Tate Modern in London, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). His works have also been displayed in the British Museum and the Museum of Modern Arab Art.
Over the decades, the artist Dia Al-Azzawi participated in art exhibitions held in international museums such as the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad, the Museum of Modern Art in Tunisia, the Contemporary Arab Museum in London, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, ​​and the Ashmolean Museum. In the United Kingdom, the Hospice Saint Roch Museum in France, the Aga Khan Museum in Canada, and the MOMA Museum in New York.
Al-Azzawi studied archeology at the University of Baghdad and fine arts at the Institute of Arts in Baghdad, and through his new artistic visions he added historical and cultural depth to his creations.
Al-Azzawi founded an artistic movement called “New Vision” in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in 1969, and at that time it was one of the most prominent modern artistic movements in the Arab world.

Over the decades, he participated in international art events such as the Venice Biennale in Italy in 1976, the São Paulo Biennale in Brazil in 1979, the International Print Biennale in Bradford, United Kingdom in 1984, and the International Print Biennale in Taiwan in 1987.
During his busy artistic career, the artist Dia Al-Azzawi held many art exhibitions that combined the arts of drawing, painting, abstraction, poetry, crafts, sculpture and printing, the most prominent of which are the exhibitions “Fulfilled Imaginations” in 2023, “Poetry Drawing” in 2022, “My Dream” in 2017, and “Retrospective” in 2016, “Something Different: Sculpture and Weaving” in 2015, and “Passion “For Participation” and “Selected Works” in 2014, and “Children of Gaza” in 2013.
Among his prominent exhibitions that he held were “Messages in Art” in 2012 in Dubai, “New Paintings” in 2005 in Paris, and “Palestine and Mahmoud Darwish” in 2003.
The artist Diaa Al-Azzawi has a comprehensive, creative artistic outlook, which collected a set of the most important tools of modern art, including painting, sculpture, and art book design. He also contributed to highlighting the distinct Arab cultural identity and highlighting its unique aesthetics globally.
His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the “Geniuses of the Arabs” initiative, made a video call with the artist Diaa Al-Azzawi to inform him of winning the “Geniuses of the Arabs 2024” award in the category of literature and arts, praising his global artistic and cultural achievements that raised the name of the nation. Contemporary Arab art is highly regarded in international forums.
His Excellency Mohammed Al Gergawi said that “Geniuses of the Arabs” is an Arab strategic project that translates the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him,” by providing a comprehensive Arab initiative for the most prominent creative Arab minds, and celebrating their pioneering cultural and humanitarian role. Inspiring promising talents in the region, and motivating Arab youth aspiring to contribute positively to the progress of humanity.
The Literature and Arts Committee for the “Geniuses of the Arabs” Award for the year 2024 included His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Library Foundation, Chairman of the Committee, and Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Zayed Hijab, Director of the Library of Alexandria.
The “Arab Geniuses” initiative works to shed light on the inspiring achievements of exceptional Arab minds, publicize their impact on the process of development and human civilization to expand it, and motivate more Arab youth and emerging Arab talents to emulate the distinguished Arab geniuses.
For the second year in a row, the award, the largest of its kind in the Arab world, continued to record a qualitative turnout and a large volume of nomination requests from individuals and institutions for scientific, cognitive and creative positions that have become role models for young Arab cadres of perseverance and dedication in order to enhance the Arab role in the cultural heritage and human knowledge.

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