Six Surreal Panels with Figures and Objects, 1979

Issam al-Said (1938–1988) was a multifaceted Iraqi artist, encompassing roles as a painter, printmaker, designer, etcher, architect, philosopher, and author. Born in Baghdad into a prominent family, he was the grandson of Nuri al-Said Pasha, Iraq's Prime Minister from 1930 to 1958. Al-Said pursued architecture at Cambridge University, graduating in 1961, and furthered his studies at Hammersmith College of Art and Design in London between 1962 and 1964. In 1988, he commenced a PhD on the methodology of geometric proportioning in Islamic architecture at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne but passed away in London before its completion; the work was published posthumously.

Al-Said's artistic oeuvre is distinguished by the integration of Kufic script into his works from the 1960s, aligning him with the Hurufiyya movement that emerged in the Middle East and North Africa during the 1950s and 1960s. His versatility extended to designing furniture, including lamps, carpets, and tiles. Notable architectural contributions include the Central Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre in London (1976–77), as well as the Aloussi Mosque (1982–83) and Al-Aboud Mosque (1984) in Baghdad. His artworks are held in esteemed institutions such as the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the National Museum of Modern Art in both Baghdad and Amman.

Al-Said's legacy is further cemented through his publications, notably "Islamic Art and Architecture: The System of Geometric Design," released posthumously in 1993, and "Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art," co-authored with A. Parman in 1976. His life and work are also chronicled in the book "Issam El-Said: Artist and Scholar" by Samir Chorbachi, published in 1989.