Ismael Al-Sheikhly (Iraq, born 1924) Women oil on canvas signed and dated 1970, titled on the verso 50 x 50cm (19 11/16 x 19 11/16in). Footnotes: Provenance: Property from a private collection, London 'Ismail al-Sheikhly's inspiration belongs to the women he has for many years now observed, wondered at, and idealized as they visit mosques or holy shrines in great numbers. This is the calculated observation of the visual artist: the women are arranged, re-arranged and dis-arranged in compositions of endless variations, all celebrating a mysterious pilgrimage in quest of more love, more fruition. The scene is intensely Iraqi and of the people, presented in a sophisticated treatment that hovers between the calligraphic and the abstract, are often distilled down to daubs of sheer colour' - Jabra Ibrahim Jabra For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com