Growing up in the city of Hilla, in central Iraq, the artist Mehdi Moutashar saw Arabic calligraphy and ornamental patterns all around him and in nearby Babylonian ruins. Shortly after his move to Paris in 1967, to attend the École des Beaux-Arts, Moutashar discovered the geometric abstractions of contemporary French artists. These two artistic traditions have guided him ever since. In his first solo exhibition in Qatar, the artist presents 27 works from many points in his career. “Arab modernism is a movement that the world knows very little about,” said Amin Alsaden, the show’s curator. “Mehdi bridges the gap between the modernism that flourished in mid–20th century Baghdad and global contemporary art.” —Jeanne Malle