Biography


Nasrollah Afjei is one of the leading calligraphers. He was interested in calligraphy, painting and music from childhood and showed his talent in his childhood. He started his career at the age of 15 in an atelier and after a year launched his own one with one of his friends. After graduating from school, Afjei went to the "Miniature Advertising Center". He refers to the center, which belonged to Rassam Arabzadeh, as an art academy. He got the opportunity to accompany and learn calligraphy from masters such as Kimia Ghalam Zanjani and Ali Akbar Kaveh there. After the end of his military service in 1957, together with his friends Ali Akbar Sadeghi, Ali Reza and Mahmoud Basiri, he set up "Atelier Seven" on Baharestan Street. This studio became the focal point for him and his friends' ongoing activities. Great artists such as Morteza Momayez, Parviz Kalantari and Abbas Kiarostami came to this studio. The first overseas appearance of his works took place in 1974 at the International Painting Exhibition in Switzerland. His calligraphic paintings have been exhibited in various countries such as France, England, America and Germany in recent years. In 1993, Afjei received the first-class artistic award from the Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture. He has also been active in art education for many years; Teaching at the University of Tehran, Al-Zahra University, Soureh University, etc. are some of his educational activities.
Afjei used calligraphy in the form of modern painting in experimental works in the period of 60s to 70s under the influence of traditionalist art movements, specifically the Sagha Khaneh movement and exhibited the resulting artworks in an exhibition called “calligraphic painting” at the Seyhoun Gallery. "Calligraphic painting" was an innovative title by Afjei which later applied to works that combined painting and calligraphy. In addition to exploiting the potential of calligraphy, Afjei has used some features of the Iranian-Islamic tradition of calligraphy and page layout in combining and arranging the elements of his calligraphic paintings. Ruyin Pakbaz writes about him: "Afjei's expertise in various methods of traditional calligraphy has diversified his calligraphic paintings. In the 1970s, he created Op Art-inspired works using Kufic-Bannai script, or exploited Thuluth script features in deliberate compositions. "Since the early 1970s, he has developed a more personalized style based on the Siyah mashq tradition, creating extensive combinations with hidden Nasta'liq intertwined letters."
Nasrollah Afjei's first appearance in the auctions dates back to June 2008 at the Christie's Auction House. Until 2021, his works have been in 73 domestic and foreign auctions, and 77% of his works have been sold in international auctions. His most expensive work until 2021 was hammered at the auction house of the Moroccan Art Company for $ 255,000 on December 21, 2008.

CV


2022
The 15th Tehran auction 14 January
2021
MIDDLE EAST MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART 'NORTH AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST & INDIA auction
International Art auction
Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern and North African Art auction
POST WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART auction
The 13th Tehran auction
2020
پنجمین دوره حراج تهران auction
Middle Eastern, Modern and Contemporary Art auction 11 November
Selected Artworks - Online Viewing Nasrollah Afjei exhibition 27 April
دوازدهمین دوره حراج تهران auction 17 January
2019
Middle Eastern, Modern and Contemporary Art auction 23 October
یازدهمین دوره حراج تهران auction 5 July
دهمین دوره حراج تهران auction 11 January
2018
Middle Eastern, Modern and Contemporary Art auction 24 October
نهمین دوره حراج تهران auction 29 June
Modern and Contemporary Art of the Middle East auction 14 April
Dubai: Post War and Contemporary Art auction 22 March
2017
Middle Eastern, Modern and Contemporary Art auction 25 October
هفتمین دوره حراج تهران auction 7 July
Drouot Richelieu, Salle 5, Art Abstrait et Contemporain* auction 9 June
Modern & Contemporary Art auction 18 March
2016
Modern & Contemporary Art auction 18 October
2015
Modern & Contemporary Art auction 20 October
چهارمین دوره حراج تهران auction 29 May
A Century of Iraqi Art and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auction 20 April
2014
Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art auction 21 October
Contemporary Art / Doha auction 13 October
Islamic and Indian Art auction 7 October
سومین دوره حراج تهران auction 30 May
Islamic and Indian Art auction 8 April
Modern & Contemporary Arab, Iranian & Turkish Art Including Masterpieces from The Pharos Art Collection & From The Maath Alousi Collection auction 19 March
2013
دومین دوره حراج تهران auction 28 May
Contemporary Art/Doha auction 22 April
Modern and Contemporary Arab,Iranian and Turkish Art Part II auction 17 April
2012
Modern & Contemporary Arab, Iranian And Turkish Art Part I auction 23 October
International Modern and Contemporary Art Auction auction 22 October
اولین دوره حراج تهران auction 22 May
Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art Part I auction 17 April
2011
Visions d'Orient - De l'orientalisme à l'art contemporain auction 4 November
Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art Part II auction 26 October
Contemporary Art / Arab & Iranian auction 4 October
Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art auction 19 April
Nasrollah Afjei solo exhibition exhibition 21 March
VENTE DE FEVRIER auction 12 February
2010
Hurouf: The Art of the Word auction 16 December
Design, Art Contemporain, Photographie Contemporaine, Art Iranien auction 25 November
Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Moderne Arabe et Iranien auction 9 November
Contemporary Art / Arab & Iranian auction 20 October
Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern & South Asian Art auction 11 October
Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern & South Asian Art auction 2 June
International Modern & Contemporary Art, Including Masterpieces from The Collection of Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi auction 27 April
2009
International Modern & Contemporary Art auction 27 October
Art Moderne et Contemporain Iranien et Arabe auction 24 October
Contemporary Art Including Arab & Iranian Art auction 16 October
Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern & South Asian Art auction 12 October
Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Moderne Arabe et Iranien auction 16 June
Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern & South Asian Art auction 3 June
International Modern & Contemporary Art auction 29 April
Contemporary Art auction 18 March
2008
INTERNATIONAL ART ORIENTALIST PAINTING auction 20 December
INTERNATIONAL ART ORIENTALIST PAINTING auction 20 December
Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Moderne Arabe et Iranien auction 17 December
Modern & Contemporary Arab, Iranian, Indian & Pakistani Art auction 24 November
Modern and Contemporary Arab and Iranian Art auction 23 October
Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Moderne Arabe et Iranien auction 3 June