1930 Artist Najeeb Younis was born in the city of Mosul in Iraq. He is from the well-known family of ‘Al-Sharif Bey’. He spent his life in the city of Mosul and was one of its most prominent artists in the twentieth century.
1949 He traveled to study art at the Higher School of Fine Arts (founded by Prince Yousef Kamal in 1908) in Ismail Mohamed Street in Zamalek Island in Cairo, Egypt where European professors in this school educated him and Egyptian professors who had a presence in the Egyptian and Arabic fine arts scene, like Yousef Kamel. This period left its imprint on his style, especially in the influential style (impressionism) and in the art of portraits, as the artist Ahmed Sabry (1889-1955), who was considered one of the most prominent pioneers of Egyptian art, especially in portraiture, and many critics considered him the founder of the Egyptian impression style, influenced him.
1954 He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo - Egypt (after changing its name after the July 1952 Revolution), with honors degree, and returned to Mosul, and worked as an art teacher in several secondary schools.
He was influenced by Impressionism during his studies. Then, he adopted a style of his own called "popular realism" with a group of painters from the fifties such as, Hamid Al-Mahal, Fadhel Abbas, Rasoul Alwan (before he turned to German Expressionism) and then Dirar Al-Qaddo from Mosul followed them later. They were interested in drawing scenes of daily life in their cities, like most of the artists of the fifties.
1956 He participated in the Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture in Al-Mansour Club and was awarded a certificate of appreciation.
1957 He participated in the Iraqi art exhibition at the UNESCO hall in Beirut, in which he exhibited four works and an exhibition of the Iraqi Plastic Artists Association in Baghdad.
1961 He held his first solo exhibition in Mosul.
1963 He participated in the Mosul Artists Exhibition in Mosul.
1965 He held his second solo exhibition in Mosul. He was also employed at the University of Mosul in the same year.
1972 He obtained a certificate of appreciation from the Iraqi Fine Artists Association as one of the pillars of the Iraqi art movement.
1978 He founded and headed the Fine Arts Department at the Institute of Fine Arts in Mosul.
1980 He headed the Artists Syndicate, the Nineveh branch.
1983 He retired and then devoted himself to painting in his own studio
1985 A retrospective exhibition was held for him in the hall of the National Museum of Plastic Arts in Baghdad, in which 250 works were exhibited, and in the same year he held a solo exhibition in London.
1996 He was honored with the Order of Pioneers of Iraqi Art by the Ministry of Culture and Information.
1998 He held a solo exhibition in Bahrain.
2000 He participated in the exhibition "Magical Moments in Nature and Place" at Gallery Art in Baghdad.
2001 He held a solo exhibition in Bahrain.
2002 He held a solo exhibition in the United Arab Emirates.
He participated and held many exhibitions inside and outside Iraq.
June 8, 2007 The artist passed away in his hometown, where he remained, close at the age of seventy-seven.
He was a member of the Iraqi Artists Association in Baghdad and Mosul.
He was a member of the Iraqi Artists Syndicate in Baghdad and Mosul.
