Art.com Introduces Rare Collection of Modern Art from Iraq

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Art.com, Inc. (www.art.com), the world's leading online specialty retailer of wall art, today announced the launch of an exclusive collection of artwork from both well-known and emerging Iraqi artists. The collection, Modern Art from Iraq (www.art.com/artfromiraq), features a unique selection of original paintings and reproductions created over the last 10 years in and around Baghdad.  Each piece can be purchased as a high quality giclee print (framed or unframed) or reproduced on canvas. Several of the originals are also available for sale.  

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"I first encountered this collection of modern Iraqi art at a Paris art gallery years ago and was immediately taken by the vibrant colors, rich texture, beautiful composition, intriguing complexity and the overwhelming drive of these artists to create even in treacherous circumstances," said Geoffroy Martin, CEO of Art.com, Inc. "This collection really moved me, and I'm so pleased that we can make these pieces available to the public."

The Modern Art from Iraq collection is comprised of various pieces including mixed media collages by one of the country's most well-known artists, Qasim Sabti, using books that were salvaged from the burned out streets of Baghdad. Others include abstract paintings and representations of life in a war-torn country. The collection showcases works from nine artists including Noori Al Rawi, regarded as one of Iraq's most influential painters, Falah Al Anee, an artist who began painting at four years old, Ahmed Noussaief, Ja'afar Mohammed Khader, Mohammad Jassim Al-Zubaidi, Sattar Darwich, Fakher Mohammed and Mahood Hadi.

In honor of the launch, Art.com will show a selection of paintings from the collection at the 2011 San Francisco Arab Heritage Month Celebration during the Mayor's Proclamation Ceremony and Reception on Wednesday, Oct. 26th, at 5 p.m. "This is the perfect event to introduce such an important collection, share its journey from the Middle East and, ultimately, expose these meaningful pieces to art lovers here in the U.S.," added Martin.

To learn more about the Modern Art from Iraq collection and the featured Iraqi artists, please visit www.art.com/artfromiraq.

About Art.com, Inc.

Art.com, Inc. is the world's leading online specialty provider of wall art. The company was founded in 1998 with one goal—to make art accessible to all by transforming the way the world discovers, personalizes, shares and purchases art. From Basquiat to Van Gogh and every style in between, the site's sophisticated visual search tools make it fun and easy to explore Art.com's vast collection of more than one million works. Art.com, Inc. runs three sites in the USA—Art.com, AllPosters.com, and ArtistRising.com—and has a strong international presence with 25 local sites in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and South America.

Art.com, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.art.com and www.AllPosters.com. "art.com" and "AllPosters" are registered trademarks.  

SOURCE Art.com, Inc.