Lala Abda Rahim, a celebrated Kurdish artist, created a powerful legacy over nearly six decades through his evocative paintings, dedicated teaching, and profound cultural expression. Born in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, on July 1, 1947, he rose to become one of Europe’s most esteemed watercolor painters, skillfully weaving his Kurdish heritage with European artistic techniques to create art that was both deeply personal and universally resonant. He passed away in Nuremberg, Germany, on July 8, 2025.

Artistic style and strengths

Rahim’s work is particularly lauded for his mastery of the watercolor medium. His distinctive style was characterized by:

• Expressive floral compositions: He utilized soft, flowing brushstrokes to create ethereal and dramatic floral scenes.
• Harmonious color palette: His art often featured a serene balance of pastel hues, seamlessly bridging abstract and figurative forms.
• Atmospheric landscapes: Rahim’s landscapes evoked a dreamy and poetic ambiance, more focused on capturing an inner world of nostalgia, hope, or melancholy than depicting specific geographical locations.
• Thematic depth: His work explored profound themes of identity, exile, resilience, and Kurdish memory.

His watercolors, widely seen and shared online, have become the foremost examples of his visual and emotive vocabulary. Rahim created a distinctive visual vocabulary that involves rich emotional implication, symbolism, and sensitivity. His paintings frequently depicted ordinary but abstract objects, especially landscapes, human figures, flowers, and trees, that he reduced to their bare essentials without sacrificing their significance.

Early life and studies

Lala Abda Rahim completed his elementary and secondary studies in Sulaymaniyah, his hometown. In 1967, he moved to Baghdad to study at the Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 1970. He then worked as an art teacher in Sulaymaniyah from 1972 to 1976, while also organizing exhibitions that brought visibility to Kurdish visual arts. Desiring to further his arts education, Rahim went to Italy in 1976. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he graduated with honors in 1978. While there, he created one of his most influential works, a mural in the Cultural Center of Fiesole, Florence, that has been on display since 1976.

Light Through Reality and the Birth of the Sun, 1979, Detail – Acrylic,  Cultural Center of Fiesole, Florence

In 1984, Rahim migrated to France, where he set up his own gallery in Strasbourg and continued to teach art. His skill in watercolor painting helped him gain fame across Europe, especially in France, Germany, and Italy.

Driven by a feeling of obligation to give back to his motherland, he returned to Kurdistan in 2014 to share his knowledge with a new generation of Kurdish artists. After three years of teaching in Sulaymaniyah, he relocated once again to Europe for personal and health reasons.

Exhibitions and recognition

Throughout his illustrious career, Rahim’s work was showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.

Selected solo exhibitions:

• Baghdad School of Fine Arts, Baghdad (1970)
• Sulaymaniyah, Iraq (1973, 1976)
• Arte Contemporanea (La Perla), Florence (1979)
• Palazzo Comunale di Carmignano, Italy (1980)
• Cultural Center of Fiesole, Florence (1981)
• Multiple Exhibitions in Strasbourg, France (1988–1997)
• Council of Europe, Strasbourg (1989) 
• Band de la France, Selestat (1996)
• Private Exhibition in Sulaymaniyah, Culture Factory (2015)

Selected group exhibitions:

• Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and East Berlin (1970–1973)
• House of Culture, Florence and “Today’s Figurative Art,” London (1978)
• Newroz Festival, Guigni Gallery, Florence (1979)
• Kurdish Institute of Paris, Dortmund, and London (1982-1988)
• University Gallery, London (1987)

Awards:

• National Prize of the Art Festival, Baghdad (1974)
• Gold Medal, Italy (1979)
• Campione d’Italia, awarded by the Italian Academies (1988)
• Avesta Award, Germany, honoring 40 years of service to Kurdish art (2010)

Legacy: Lala Abda Rahim’s legacy continues through his vast body of work and the generations of students he instructed. A pioneer of diaspora art, Rahim’s life was a canvas of memory, migration, and hope. In his artwork, he narrated the tale of a people and a world that he portrayed with enduring passion and dignity.

Miran Abraham is a well-known Kurdish novelist and director of Shanidar Publishing House.