Hassan Massoudy (Iraq, b. 1944)

Hassan Massoudy positioned Arabic calligraphy within modern art, reshaping letters into a contemporary visual language.

• Born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1944; trained in traditional calligraphy
• Moved to Paris in 1969, studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts
• Known for fusing classical script with modern abstraction and literature, such as Rumi.

Hassan Massoudy was born in Najaf in 1944. He learned classical calligraphy in Baghdad, building a foundation of strict proportion and discipline. These early years equipped him with the technical mastery that later allowed him to transform the tradition.

In 1969, Massoudy left Iraq for Paris. At the École des Beaux-Arts, he studied painting and encountered modern European art. Instead of abandoning his roots, he combined them with new methods. Calligraphy, usually confined to controlled scales and surfaces, became expansive. Letters grew larger, stretched across color fields, and assumed the presence of visual forms.

A representative work is Calligraphie d’Amour (Love Calligraphy). A single Arabic word dominates the composition — not only to be read, but also to be seen. Massoudy transforms text into structure, demonstrating how script can function as both language and image.

Literature remains central to his practice. He often draws from poets such as Rumi, Al-Mutanabbi, and Mahmoud Darwish, embedding their words into his paintings. In doing so, he gives Arabic poetry a visual dimension that speaks across cultures.

Massoudy’s contribution lies in placing Arabic calligraphy firmly within the global modern art. His works are exhibited internationally. He shows that letters, like culture, evolve when they encounter new contexts.