Mahood Ahmad

Mahood Ahmad (1940–2021) was an influential Iraqi painter and academic, renowned for his evocative depictions of social and political themes. Born in Amarah, Maysan province, he graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1959. Ahmad pursued advanced studies in Moscow, earning a master's degree in 1967 and a Ph.D. in Art Sciences in 1979. His doctoral thesis focused on the medieval Iraqi artist Yahya al-Wasiti. 

Ahmad's artistic oeuvre is characterized by a blend of figurative and symbolic elements, often reflecting the struggles and resilience of the Iraqi people. His notable work, "Motherhood" (1976), is housed in the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow. Throughout his career, he participated in numerous exhibitions, including the Baghdad International Festival for Visual Art in 1986 and the Contemporary Artists from Iraq exhibition in Amman in 2019.

In academia, Ahmad served as a professor at the University of Baghdad, achieving the rank of professor in 1996. He was also a founding member of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Salahuddin in Erbil. His scholarly contributions include articles on Arab folklore and Iraqi art history, as well as books such as "Miniatures and Manuscript of the Great Maqamat of Hariri in Petersburg" (2010) and "The Woman, The Tattoo, The Legend" (2012).

Ahmad's works have been recognized in the art market; for instance, his painting "Dreaming Away" (2000) was exhibited at the Hindiyeh Museum of Arts in Jordan and later offered at auction with an estimate of $12,000 to $16,000.