Art of the Middle East: Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World and Iran

Artistic expression in the Middle East is experiencing something of a renaissance. Domestic patronage is flourishing, and an impressive array of new museums and art fairs across the region is helping to stimulate international interest in an increasingly influential movement. Art of the Middle East is an accessible overview of modern and contemporary art of the Middle East and Arab world from 1945 to the present, with an emphasis on artists active today. This new revised and expanded edition features the work of 12 additional artists, as well as a consideration of the impact of the revolutions of the so-called Arab Spring, which erupted across the region in 2011. The featured works are divided into seven themed sections - including literature, portraiture and the body, and politics, conflict and war - while extended captions provide an engaging commentary on each artwork and the artist behind its creation. Lavishly illustrated throughout, this landmark publication is an authoritative guide to a challenging and exciting body of work.

Saeb Eigner is a patron of the Arts, with a particular interest in modern and contemporary art of the Middle East. He was the British Museum’s senior adviser for its landmark exhibition Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East (2006 and touring 2008).

Zaha Hadid is one of the world’s most distinguished architects, and in 2004 became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize.