1922 Artist Zaid Saleh Zaki was born in Iraq in a house that professes art and architecture. His father is veteran visual artist, Mohamed Saleh Zaki.
He studied at Al-Mamuniya Elementary School, where he met the artist Jewad Selim and Issa Hanna. They had a friendly relationship that established artistic and cultural dialogues in the future. His hobby for painting began during that time and in the fifth grade.
His father was a friend of great artists such as the great artist Abdulqader Al-Rassam, Jewad’s father Al-Hajj Muhammad Selim Ali Al-Mousli and Asem Hafudh, where he grew up in these artistic atmospheres in addition to the early knowledge of the international experiences that he was provided through the books and technical magazines that were circulating at the time.
As his father was a military man, and frequently moved between the cities of Iraq, he completed middle school in the city of Kirkuk.
1940 He enrolled in the military school in Baghdad, graduated as an officer and worked in the military corps. He continued practicing art.
1947 He traveled to England to study and saw most of the art and historical museums there that enriched his culture and developed his artistic experience.
1950 He joined the Primitivist Group after his return to Baghdad and became an active member in it. At this stage, he became interested in drawing in the realist style and produced many realist works that won the admiration of his colleagues in the group for their mastery and aesthetics.
During the active period of La Société Primitive”, which later became known as the ‘Pioneers Group’, he participated in all its activities and exhibited his works in most of its exhibitions.
1951 He participated in the English Exhibition at the British Council.
1956 He participated in the British Cultural Institute exhibition, in which he exhibited four works.
He joined the Iraqi Visual Artists Association and participated in most of its exhibitions.
1957 He participated in the Iraqi Contemporary Art Exhibition at the UNESCO Hall in Beirut, in which he exhibited one work.
Like Faik Hassan and some of the visual artists, he tried several techniques in his art, including the fauvist, impressionist and the realist style with his friends in the Pioneers Group, Faik Hasan, Ismail Al-Cheikhli, Dr.Khaled Al-Qassab and others.
1986 The artist passed away at the age of sixty-four years
