July 23, 1942 Artist Suad Al-Attar was born in the capital, Baghdad, Iraq. She is the second of three children and the older sister of the late artist, Layla Al-Attar. Her father comes from a Baghdadi family who works as an accountant and is named Ali Sadiq Al-Attar, and her mother comes from a well-known and well-off family in Basra called Anisa Abdul Rahim Abdul Nabi, and they got married in 1935 and settled in Baghdad. The artist was brought up in a cultured and open-minded family.
1955 At the age of thirteen, her talent for drawing began to show when she was a student in middle school. Her mother was a lover of art and had a talent for drawing, and she studied fine arts at Sit Kassab School of Fine Arts in Beirut before her marriage to Ali Sadiq.
1957 She participated in the Iraqi Art exhibition that organized by the Iraqi Fine artists Association of the.
1959 She graduated from high school in Baghdad and her family decided to send her to complete the study of plastic arts to the best place where she could hone her talent and sharpen her skills.
1960 - 1963 She traveled to the United States to complete her studies in Fine Arts, obtaining a Fine Arts Diploma from the University of California, a Diploma in Artistic Printing (Gravure) from Wimbledon College of Art in London, and another diploma for Artistic Printing (Gravure) from the Central School of Art and Design in London. After her graduation, she taught at the University of Baghdad for a while.
1963 She held her first solo exhibition in Baghdad after returning from studying in the United States of America.
1964 She held her second solo exhibition at the Iraqi Red Crescent Hall in Baghdad.
1965 She held her third solo exhibition at Al Wasiti Hall in Baghdad and participated in an exhibition at Gallery One in Beirut and the first exhibition of contemporary Iraqi art in Rome, Vienna, Madrid, London and Beirut.
1967 She held her fourth solo exhibition at Gallery One in Beirut and participated in the Arab Art Exhibition in Cairo, Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad, Kuwait and London.
1968 She held her fifth solo exhibition at the Friends of the Middle East Gallery in Baghdad and another one at Gallery One in Beirut.
1970 She held a solo exhibition at Al-Alwiya club hall in Baghdad and participated in the Iraqi Art Gallery in Moscow.
1972 She held a solo exhibition at Gallery One in Beirut and participated in the exhibition of Contemporary Iraqi Art at the Hall of the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad.
1973 She held a solo exhibition at the Middle East Reception Center in Paris and a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad. She participated in the First Arab Biennale in Baghdad and the Retrospective Iraqi Art Exhibition at the Hall of the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad.
1974 She held a solo exhibition at the hall of the Middle East Student Reception Center in Paris and participated in the International Art Triennial in New Delhi, India.
1975 She participated in the exhibition of contemporary Arab art in Algeria and the second anniversary of the ruling party exhibition in the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad.
1976 She participated in the Second Arab Biennale in Rabat, Morocco, and the Cagnes-Sur-Mer International Exhibition in France.
She left Iraq with her husband and children in the mid-seventies to live in London.
1977 She participated in the United States Cup exhibition at the Royal Academy in London.
1978 She participated in the Contemporary Art Exhibition in New York and the Stowles Medal Competition at the Royal Academy of Art in London.
1979 She held a solo exhibition at Al-Riwaq Hall in Baghdad and participated in the second exhibition of contemporary Arab artists at the Iraqi Cultural Center in London.
1980 She participated in the first exhibition of Arab women in Madrid, Rome and Vienna and the Third World Biennial for Graphic Art in London.
1981 She held a solo exhibition at Gallery Annex in London and participated in the Asilah International Cultural Season in Morocco.
1982 She participated in a group exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art - Amman, the sixth Norwegian International Exhibition of Graphic Arts in Fredrikstad, Norway, the Contemporary Art Exhibition in Ottawa, Canada, and the Second Wasiti Festival in Baghdad.
1983 She held a solo exhibition at Graffiti Gallery in London and participated in the third exhibition of Contemporary Arab Artists at the Iraqi Cultural Center in London.
1984 She participated in the International Biennale in Cairo and won her first prize, the Exhibition of Contemporary Arab Artists in Tunis, the Fifty-first National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Artists Exhibition at the Gallery Mall in London and the International Biennale of Graphic Arts in Miami, Florida.
1985 She held a solo exhibition at Aleph Gallery in Washington and participated in the International Art Exhibition "Honoring Pablo Picasso and Juan Miro" and won first prize "Miro Prize" in Madrid and the International Biennale of Graphic Arts in Taiwan and the International Biennale of Graphic Arts in Krakow, Poland.
1986 She held a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Kuwait and participated in the exhibition of the Arab World Institute in Paris and the Baghdad International Festival for Plastic Art at the Saddam Art Center in Baghdad.
1987 She participated in a group exhibition at Gallery Mall in London.
1989 She participated in the exhibition "Contemporary Art from the Islamic World" at the Barbican Center in London.
1990 She held a solo exhibition at the Europe Gallery in Los Angeles.
1991 She participated in the 223rd Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art in London. In the same year, Sua’ad's father passed away, and his departure affected her. In this year, Iraq invaded the State of Kuwait and overthrew its regime by force, and the warnings of war on Iraq became clear on the horizon. She drew a series of small works with a pen and was inspired by some poems.
1992 She held a solo exhibition at The Artist Studio Gallery in London and participated in the First International Festival of Arts in Mahres, Tunisia.
1993 She held a solo exhibition at the Leaton House Museum in London and participated in the 225th Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Her sister, Layla Al-Attar, her husband and their house keeper, were martyred, and one of her children was severely injured in a missile attack on a military facility, hitting her house, which was next to this facility in Baghdad.
1995 She participated in the Malta Biennale, won the Excellence Award, and participated in the "Forces of Change" exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia, the 1st Malta International Biennale of Art in Malta, and the Trégastel International Watercolor Exhibition in Trégastel, France.
1997 She held a solo exhibition at the Leighton House Museum in London and participated in the Art 97 exhibition at Red Dot Gallery in London.
1998 She participated in the Kelling Festival in Norfolk and the 230th Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and won an honorary award at the Sharjah Women's Club in the Emirates.
1999 She held a solo exhibition at Albemarle Gallery in London and participated in an exhibition at Riverside Studios in London.
2000 She held a solo exhibition at Green Art Gallery in Dubai and participated in the "Women of the World" exhibition in New York, the Arab Writing Exhibition at the British Museum in London, and an exhibition at the Flint Institute of Art in Michigan.
2001 She participated in the exhibition "Women of the World" at the University of Maryland in Washington, and the exhibition "The First International Middle Eastern Paintings" in Sotheby’s, London.
2002 She held a solo exhibition at the Chelsea Arts Club in London and participated in the 44th International Festival of Arts in Sousse in Tunisia, the International Group of Arts Exhibition in Ohio and the 24th Asilah International Cultural Season in Morocco.
2003 She participated in the Spoleto Arts Festival in Italy, a group exhibition at Wharf Palace in London, the exhibition "20th Century Paintings from the Middle East" in Sotheby’s in London, the Jordan National Museum collection exhibition at the UNESCO Center in Paris, and the Arabian Canvas in Dubai.
2004 Sua’ad's mother passed away at the age of ninety-four.
2006 She participated in the exhibition "Greetings to My Country and the Dream of a World Full of Peace" at Green Art Gallery in the United Arab Emirates, and an exhibition at Leighton House Museum in London, in which she exhibited her works from the 1990s.
2011 She held a solo exhibition entitled "The Tree of Life - Visions from Eden Gardens" at the Leighton House Museum in London.
She is still living in London with her family dedicating her full-time to her art in her own studio.
