Pomegranate Gallery/Oded Halahmy Foundation for the Arts, Inc.

Pomegranate Gallery was established by the modernist sculptor, Oded Halahmy, a thirty-five-year resident of SoHo. Halahmy — whose large abstract sculptures are in numerous museums including the Guggenheim, the Hirschhorn, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem — felt compelled to open a gallery that would introduce Americans to the serious artistic initiatives from the Middle East. He observes that Americans are not only becoming increasingly international in their art collecting, but hopes that his gallery focusing on works from his native Iraq will the serve as a cultural ambassador to awaken American consciousness of Baghdad’s leading role in fine arts from the Arab world. In fact, Baghdad has historically been viewed as the cultural capitol of the Middle East and primary innovator in the fine arts. “As an artist born in Baghdad, it is very exciting for me to bring works by the leading contemporary Iraqi artists to New York City,” says Halahmy. “Some of these artists continue to survive in Baghdad while others have escaped to Jordan. These exhibitions are a testament that the creative spirit never dies, despite dire conditions.”

The Pomegranate Gallery is supported in part by the Oded Halahmy Foundation for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural organization created to fund artistic expressions that promote a greater cultural understanding of the Middle East, thereby fostering peace and hope around the world.