Hassan Massoudy is an Iraqi artist renowned for his use of traditional Arabic calligraphy in his works. He is considered one of the first Arab artists to introduce "lettering" in the seventies of the last century by combining Arabic calligraphy and vocalization. Massoudy often bases his compositions on texts from poets, authors, and philosophers from both the Arab and European culture. “Despite the fact that the codes of beauty differ from one civilization to another, everyone can take something from them and enrich their soul or their art,” he has said. Born in 1944 in Najaf, Iraq, Massoudy moved to Baghdad in the early 1960s to study calligraphy. In 1969, he relocated to Paris to escape the rising conflicts in his country. Here he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied a number of traditional Western painting techniques.  After receiving his degree in 1975, Massoudy traveled through Europe with Arabesque, a work incorporating performance, music, poetry, and calligraphy. He has published a number of books in Arabic, French, Italian and English on the origins, achievements and future of Arabic calligraphy. The artist continues to live and work in Paris, France.