Lot 59: Totem

DIA AZZAWI (IRAQI, B. 1939)
Totem
signed and dated 'D Azzawi 1986'(below the head)
acrylic on terracotta, in five elements
67¾in. (172cm.) high
Executed in 1986, this work is unique

Paris, Institut du Monde Arabe, Quatre artistes arabes , 1988

Property from a Private Collection, Paris


Although known primarily as a painter, Dia Azzawi has for many years also produced sculpture, usually in limited editions. The present sculpture is highly unusual in that it is a unique piece and created especially for the prestigeous 1986 exhibition Quatre artistes arabes at the Insitute du Monde Arabe in Paris.