The MAIA project documents works of art from the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad that have been lost, stolen or destroyed during the US invasion of Iraq. Because there is very little surviving documentation on these artworks, MAIA was built as an open access database that allows scholars and other interested individuals to provide information about these lost holdings, as well as help locate their current whereabouts. Images of the works are often presented without titles, dates or artist names. The best way to explore this collection is to browse by media.
The MAIA project is directed by Nada Shabout, a professor of Art History and the Director of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute (CAMCSI) at the University of North Texas. Other collaborators include the Alexandria Archive Institute, and the UC Berkeley School of Information.
