Lorna Selim (Iraq, 1928-2021) The Lemon Sellers oil on board, framed signed 'Lorna Selim' and dated '1956' in Arabic (lower right), executed in 1956 45 x 60cm (17 11/16 x 23 5/8in). Footnotes: Provenance: Property from a private UK Collection, acquired directly from the artist in Baghdad circa 1950's Exhibited: National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, January 1968. 'She came to Iraq with a good eye and sense of proportion, and she loved what she saw here. You have to love to do good work' - Jewad Selim The present lot is a rare and exceptional early composition by Lorna Selim executed in the inimitable style of the Baghdad Modern Art Group. Mixing traditional Iraqi motifs with a modernist visual language, Lorna, like her illustrious husband Jewad, weaved form of 'folk modernism' which was both vernacular and universal. Focusing on the florid landscape of downtown Baghdad, Selim's compositions are populated with the humorous and extravagant characters encountered in everyday life. Light hearted and boisterous, the 'Lemon Sellers' is in part a stylistically sophisticated example of a burgeoning modernist movement in Iraq and in part a playful take on life in streets of Baghdad. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com