Mohammed bin Rashid congratulates Dia Al-Azzawi on winning the “Geniuses of the Arabs 2024” award

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, congratulated the artist Diaa Al-Azzawi for winning the “Geniuses of the Arabs 2024” award in the Literature and Arts category.

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 works of art.” Which was displayed in the most prominent museums and galleries in the world. 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 Diaa Al-Azzawi on his victory, and we celebrate his creativity that 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, creator and pioneer of contemporary Arab art, Diaa 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 diverse 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, with merit and ability, the image of the creative, holistic artist, who combined art, sculpture, Arabic crafts, culture, and archeology in his works, which he accomplished 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 artworks are 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), and 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 Museum of Contemporary Art in London. 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 were the exhibitions “Fulfilled Imaginations” in 2023, “Poetry Drawing” in 2022, and “My Dream” in 2017. “A Retrospective” in 2016, and “Something Different: Sculpture and Weaving” in 2015. “A Passion for Sharing” and “Selected Works” in 2014, and “Children of Gaza” in 2013.

Among his prominent exhibitions, which he also held, are “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 brought together a group 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.

The Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the “Geniuses of the Arabs” initiative, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi, made a video call with the artist Diaa Al-Azzawi to inform him of winning the “Geniuses of the Arabs 2024” award in the Literature and Arts category, praising his global artistic and cultural achievements that raised the name of Arab art. Highly contemporary in international forums.

Mohammed Al Gergawi said that “The 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 that inspires talent. Promising in the region, and a catalyst for 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 the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Library Foundation, the Chairman of the Committee, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Murr, and the Director of the Library of Alexandria, Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Zayed Hijab.

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, 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 figures who have become role models for young Arab cadres of perseverance and dedication, in order to enhance the Arab role in the cultural and human knowledge legacy.

Mohammed bin Rashid:

. The artist, Diaa Al-Azzawi, was inspired by the heritage of Mesopotamia to present many works of art that were displayed in the most prominent museums and galleries in the world.

. We celebrate the creativity of the artist Diaa Al-Azzawi, which inspired generations and made Arab art an influential global message.

. Dia Al-Azzawi is a creative, holistic artist who combined art, sculpture, Arabic crafts, culture, and archeology in his works that he completed over more than half a century.