1914 Hafidh AL-DROUBI was born at Al-Sadriya neighborhood in Al-Azzah Alley in Baghdad, Iraq. He is the son of Hassan Droubi who belongs to a well-known family as well as his mother; she belongs to a well-known family from Mosul called Al-Jaderji. He lost his father at an early age and his uncle, who was a goat hair dealer, raised him.
1919 As is usual for that time, most children were sent to study in public courses of Mullas in mosques, so the artist began studying in one of these circles (Katateeb) including reading, writing with “Mulla Bahia”, then "Mulla Muhi" inside Al-Alfi Mosque, near his neighborhood in Baghdad.
1921 He attended his primary school at Bab El-Sheikh in the locality of Seraj El-Din.
1923 He learned painting through his teacher, Tawfiq Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Dawood.
1924 His skill in drawing was discovered by Professor Abdel Karim Mahmoud and, through his brother, he met the artists: Mohamed Khadr, Akram Shoukri and Ismail Al-Samarrai.
1926 At the elementary age, he re-painted Ismail Al-Samarrai's painting, titled “Two People Smoking Narghile”.
1927 He began to draw folk themes and used oil paint. He received the principles of drawing from his teacher, Shawkat Suleiman Al-Khuffaf, known as Shawkat Al-Rassam, a professor of many Iraqi artists during this period.
1931 He participated in the Agricultural Industrial Exhibition in Baghdad.
1933 He was employed in the Tabu district in Baghdad and, during the same period, he started painting on canvas with the style of the Punturبطريقة البنتور.
1934 He was appointed a sports teacher at Al-Karkh School of the Ministry of Education. He met both Atta Sabry and his father, Professor Hassan Sami.
1935 He tried to master the Mimicry basics in the way he drew in the hope that he would be able to get the scholarship, as Faik Hassan did, through the membership of the Global Mission.
1936 He held his first solo exhibition, where he displayed twenty paintings in the Hall of the Teachers Club. The Minister of Education presented one of his paintings to Prime Minister Yassin Al-Hashimi and he met some artists who were students at that time in the Rusafa Intermediate School where he worked as a teacher. These students were Jewad Salim, Zaid Salih Zaki and Issa Hanna, but he resigned from school so he could travel after being accepted in the mission and he began preparing by learning the English language first. Unfortunately, a coup happened by Bakr Sidqi and the mission was canceled and he was not able to travel then. Later, he participated with Atta Sabri and Faik Hassan to work on developing the curriculum of the Institute of Fine Arts.
1937 He and Atta Sabri got the scholarship to Italy to study at the Royal Academy in Rome after they were accepted to the mission again. With this, Hafudh began to produce paintings as per the academic method and learned about the history of Western art and the Renaissance and the traditions of the Italian art school, in particular, and their origins. through the Italian artist Carlo Severo.
1940 He and Jewad Salim studied at Professor Lepinsky's studio and later returned to Baghdad. At that time, he painted the Bass Café and the door of the Al-Kilani Mosque.
1941 He started his work at the Iraqi Archeology Museum under the supervision of Akram Shoukri with Sate’e Al-Hosry, Jamil Hammoudi, Khaled Al-Rahhal, Jewad Selim, Atta Sabri, and Issa Hanna.
1942 Hafudh Droubi established the free studio in Baghdad, with the help of Jewad Selim,.
1943 He participated in the third exhibition of the Friends of Art Group and two other exhibitions at the Polish Artists Gallery and the British Council.
1945 He made a canvas painting that was acquired by Havana Pub in Baghdad with the subject ‘Folie Bergere’ inspired by Manet.
1946 He got a second scholarship in UK and attended Goldsmiths College of Art in London.
1950 He finished his studies and received a certificate in oil painting and a national diploma in design and an international certificate in art and craft then returned to Baghdad.
1951 He was appointed as a drawing teacher in the studio of the College of Arts and Sciences, and his studio was a center for students talented in drawing.
1951 He held a solo exhibition, in which he displayed 91 paintings in the Hall of the Iraqi Fashion Museum and he made a painting representing religious ceremonies in the Fifth Temple of the Iraqi Museum and participated in an exhibition at the College of Arts and Sciences.
1952 He participated in a group exhibition held at the British Cultural Center, the Ibn Sina exhibition held at the Institute of Fine Arts Institute and another exhibition entitled “England through the Eye of the Iraqi Painter”.
1953 He founded the Impressionist Group in the studio of the College of Arts and Sciences.
1954 He participated in the group’s first exhibition at the Institute of Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad and Basra. This was the beginning of his cubist style, where he worked on a mural in the house of Eng. Al-Haidari and participated in the British industrial trade fair in Iraq as requested by the Ministry of Tourism. He also participated in the itinerant Iraqi exhibition in India.
1956 He participated in the Contemporary Iraqi Exhibition, held in Beirut, Lebanon. He also participated in the second exhibition of the Impressionists Group. In the same year, artist Dia Azzawi joined Hafudh Droubi's studio.
1957 He participated in the Baghdad Exhibition for Painting and Sculpture, held at the hall of Al-Mansour Club, in which he displayed four paintings.
1958 He married a girl from Al-Darwish family.
1958 He became Secretary of the Administrative Board of the Iraqi Artists Association.
1960 He participated in the exhibition of the Iraqi Artists Association, in which he displayed 3 paintings and continued in his position as Secretary of the Administrative Board of the Iraqi Artists Association.
1962 He participated in the Iraqi Artists Association exhibition, displaying 5 paintings, and participated in the Canadian Festival.
1963 He was chosen as the vice president of the Iraqi Artists Association and set the curriculum for the Academy of Fine Arts with Faik Hassan.
1964 He participated in the sixth Iraqi Artists Exhibition, displaying 5 paintings.
1965 He participated in the itinerant Iraqi exhibition with Saad Al-Tai and presented their work in Rome, Vienna, Budapest, and London, and was elected in the same year as president of the Association of Iraqi Artists.
1966 He participated in the Iraqi Artists Association exhibition, displaying 5 paintings.
1967 was appointed as acting dean of the Academy of Fine Arts for six years
Worked as the president of the Iraqi Artists Association for the second time and for six years, and a president of Art National Committee.
He designed the logo of the University of Baghdad and Iraqi Airways.
1968 He participated in the last exhibition of the Iraqi Artists Association, displaying 12 paintings.
1969 A comprehensive exhibition of Droubi was held at the Heritage and Arts Society in Al-Seleikh, Baghdad.
1970 Studied ‘Al-Qadisiyah Battle Panorama’ Project in Moscow with Faraj Abbo.
1972 He participated in the Al-Wasiti Festival in Baghdad, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Information. Hafudh Droubi, alongside Akram Shoukri, Faik Hassan, and Atta Sabri, were honored.
1973 He participated in the committee of the Arab Visual Artists Union conference and held a personal exhibition in Al-Alwiya Club.
1974 Faik Hassan, Hafudh Droubi, Kadhum Haidar, and Ismail Al-Cheikhli were assigned to create a mural for Baghdad Airport. Then, Hafudh chaired the Arab Exhibition Committee for the first biennale and participated in the Iraqi art exhibition in Egypt. Dia Al-Azzawi wrote about him in Al-Dustour Magazine talking about the relationship of his art to heritage and the environment.
1977 He held a solo exhibition in which 23 paintings were displayed in the Al-Alwiya Club. Also, he worked on the mural of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” in one of Baghdad’s hotels, and drew a painting that was hung in the new hall at the College of Medicine.
1980, an honorary exhibition was held by the Ministry of Culture and Media in the hall of the National Museum of Modern Art, in which a painting from a private collection and 30 paintings from the museum collection were displayed.
1982 Referred to retirement due to reaching the legal retirement age.
1988 He held a solo exhibition at Al-Riwaq Hall in Baghdad.
January 23, 1991, he suffered a stroke. The artist passed away after it in Baghdad, at the age of seventy-seven years, and he was buried there.
