Ismail Fatah Al Turk

Ismail Fatah Al-Turk (Ismail Fatah) (1934 or 1938–2004) was an Iraqi painter and sculptor born in Basra, Iraq, noted for his abstract art, monumental sculpture, and public works and as part of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, which fostered a sense of national identity. He was born in 1934 in Baghdad, into a poor family. He studied art in Baghdad and Paris, and exhibited his works in various countries. He also taught at the American University of Beirut. He returned to Baghdad in 1980, and was commissioned to create several public monuments, such as the Al-Shaheed Monument, a giant split dome made of blue tile, and the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, a twisted metal sculpture inspired by the Sumerian Queen Shubad. He also used the debris of war to create sculptures that he called eco-sculpture. He died in 2004 in Baghdad, from an unknown cause. He is remembered as one of the pillars of modern Iraqi art, and a pioneer of public art in the Arab world.