Hafidh Al Droubi’s paintings are characterised by an interest in scenes of daily life in Iraq, executed in a technique that moved away from an impressionist focus on the effects of light and form to one that experimented with Cubism’s fragmentation of space. Like many of his predecessors and colleagues in the Arab world, Al Droubi travelled abroad to Rome in 1936 for training. In 1940, he returned to Baghdad for a few months before continuing his studies at London’s Goldsmith College, graduating in 1950. He made several important contributions to the history of modern art in Iraq, including the establishment of Baghdad’s first free atelier in 1942 and the 1953 founding of the artist collective, The Impressionists. Dedicated to art education more so than a particular style or mode of working, The Impressionists encompassed artists practicing in a variety of styles and techniques. Al Droubi was an active member of the city’s growing art scene in many ways. He chaired the Iraqi Plastic Artists for six years and served as the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad.