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Latif al-Ani (, 1932 – 18 November 2021) was an Iraqis photographer, often known as " the father of Iraqi photography" and noted for his photographic works that combine both ancient and modern themes. During his active career from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, he chronicled an Iraqi way of life that was rapidly being lost as the country embarked on a modernization program. He documented people, ancient monuments and many facets of urban life in Iraq. He stopped taking photographs following the rise of Saddam Hussein, as he was unable to maintain his former optimistic outlook for Iraq's future.
Al-Ani was first exposed to photography when, as a boy, he would help in his older brother's Mutanabbi Street shop which was adjacent to the studio of a Jewish photographer, by the name of Nissan. The young Al-Ani was fascinated. Noting the boy's interest, al-Ani's brother bought him a camera, a Kodak box, in around 1947, when al-Ani was 15 years. After that, the camera never left his side.Ruya Foundation, From the air, I saw things in a different way: photographer Latif al Ani reflects on his life and work, 1 May 2015 [4] His earliest photos were of the everyday scenes and objects in his immediate surroundings- street life, palms, plants, faces and people on rooftops. This type of subject matter would become a recurring theme in his work.
In 1960, he founded the Photography Department at the Ministry of Information (subsequently renamed Ministry of Culture). At the time, he was one of the very few people in Iraq who knew how to develop color photographs.Holledge, E., "Capturing the Social Fabric" Gulf News, 13 December 2017 Online: He hired an assistant, Halim al-Khatat, who later became a well-known photographer.Hatje Cantz (publisher), "Interview with Latif al-Ani" 2017, Online: His department published the magazine, New Iraq, (in five languages: Arabic, Kurdish, English, French and German) which was distributed to foreign diplomatic communities and international organizations operating in Iraq.Pelletier, M., "Images of a Vanished World", Apollo Magazine 7 December 2017 Online: During this period, al-Ani travelled extensively documenting Iraqi social life and culture, industry, agriculture, workers, machinery and development. This type of work was not only a good fit with al-Ani's own preoccupations, but also fitted with the government’s socialist agenda. Al-Ani explains his motivations:
For his role in chronicling the so-called golden age of Iraq, al-Ani has been labelled as the "father of Iraqi photography".Holledge, E., "Capturing the Social Fabric" Gulf News, 13 December 2017 Online:; Pelletier, M., "Images of a Vanished World", Apollo Magazine, 7 December 2017 Online:
In the 1970s, he was appointed the Head of photography at the Iraqi News Agency.Waters, L., "Happy Tourists, Hula Hoops, Architectural Wonders: Iraq a You've Never Seen", The Telegraph (UK), 7 December 2017, Online: This provided further opportunities to document the social and cultural life of Iraq. Throughout his career, he felt compelled to record a way of life that he feared was being lost as the country embarked on a period of 'modernisation'. Al-Ani was an optimist and “wanted to show Iraq as a civilized, modern place.” At the same time, he was proud of Iraq's ancient Sumerian and Mesopotamian past.Smyth, D., "The founding father of Iraqi photography gets his first London show", British Journal of Photography, 16 November 2017 Online:
Al-Ani had an instinct for juxtaposing the layers of Iraq's ancient art heritage with distinctly modern themes. His work has been influenced by mid-20th century Iraqi artists, including Jawad Saleem.Wullschlager. J., "Latif Al Ani and Iraq’s Golden Age", Financial Times, (UK) 2 December 2017 Online: For example, his portrait of the US Couple in Ctesiphon shows an American couple visiting the Taq Kisra (arch at Ctesiphon) in the background, while they listen to an elderly Bedouin man seated on the ground playing the rebab.Leech, N., "Latif Al Ani: Chronicler of Modernity in a Now Vanished Iraq", The National 11 July 2017 Online:; David, C., "With or Without Consent: Latif al-Ani's Iraq", Al Nafas Magazine,February 2016, Online:
In the 1960s and 70s he enjoyed international success, working and exhibiting in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. However, he stopped taking photographs in 1979 when Saddam Hussein's government placed a ban on taking photographs in public. Not only was it dangerous to take photographs in public, but al-Ani had lost his optimistic outlook for Iraq's future."Latif al-Ani:Interview", Studio International 1 May 2018 Online:; "Driven underground by Saddam, 'Iraq's greatest photographer' Latif Al Ani is honored at last", CNN News, 17 November 2018 Online:
Al-Ani died on 18 November 2021, at the age of 89 in Baghdad.
As with many Iraqi artists, much of his archive was destroyed or looted during the US invasion of Iraq of 2003.Smyth, D., "The founding father of Iraqi photography gets his first London show", British Journal of Photography, 16 November 2017 Online: The archive of Arab Image Foundation in Beirut has collected several hundred surviving photographs by al-Ani.The FAI is currently digitising photographs for its collection. See: FAI Projects
Selected list of published photographs
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