Abbas Kiarostami

Abbas Kiarostami (1940–2016) was a multifaceted artist and one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Iranian culture—a filmmaker, photographer, poet, and graphic designer who, with his unique vision, transcended the boundaries between artistic media and created a distinctive expressive language. He was born in Tehran and completed his studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran. Joining the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults marked a turning point in his artistic journey. In the realm of cinema, rather than focusing on complex plots, Kiarostami’s films—such as Where Is the Friend’s House?, Close-Up, and Taste of Cherry—explore themes of meaning, identity, and the human experience. Beyond cinema, photography formed an essential part of his artistic legacy. Series such as Snow White, The Roads, and The Walls reflect his visual and philosophical concerns—minimalistic and contemplative images built from simple elements like empty roads, solitary trees, and misty landscapes. In photography, as in filmmaking, Kiarostami was less concerned with representing reality and more with discovering hidden beauty and meaning within silence and emptiness. He also published impactful works of poetry. Abbas Kiarostami passed away in July 2016 in Paris, but his work continues to inspire generations of artists. His deep vision, distinctive visual language, and emphasis on thoughtful simplicity have secured his place as a globally significant artist deeply rooted in Iranian culture.

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VISUAL ARTS & PHOTOGRAPHY

Solo and Group Exhibitions

1989 Photography Exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran

1995 Exhibition at Case Rosse, Museum of Modern Art, 48th Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland

1996 Exhibition at Royal Poorhouse, Palermo, Italy

2001 Regarding Iranians, Espace Electra, Paris

2001 Center for Contemporary Culture, Barcelona, Spain

2001 French Gallery, Paris

2001 Calderón Seasonal Theater, 46th Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain

2001 Golestan Gallery, Tehran

2001 Sleepers, video installation at the Venice Biennale and in Paris

2001 Group exhibitions in Berlin and Tokyo (with Masaki Miyazako)

2002 Exhibition at the Institute of Foreign Relations, Bonn, Germany

2012 Led professional workshops at the 8th START Youth Film Festival, Baku

2018 Group exhibitions: Art for Peace (Milad Tower, Tehran), Passing Through Time (Cama Gallery, Tehran), Collection Sale 97 (Han Gallery, Shiraz), The Collector (Artibition Gallery, Tehran)

2019 Solo exhibition Journey to the Morning, E1 Gallery, Tehran

2021 Legacy, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

2021 Rebel, Humorous, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Iranians, Asia Society Museum, New York

2021 I Am What I See, Mojdeh Gallery, Tehran

2021 Artissima Art Fair, represented by Rossi & Rossi (London), Turin

2021 A Rare Collection of Modern Iranian Art, Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai

2021 Edited, Liam Gallery, Tehran

2021 Winter Collection of Veterans 1400, Shirin Gallery, Tehran

2021 Photography Works, Negah Gallery, Tehran

2021 This Pencil Has Color, Javid Gallery, Tehran

2022 Contemporary Iranian Photography: Online Exhibition, Janet Rady Fine Art, London

2023 MIA Art Fair, Milan (represented by Janet Rady Fine Art)

2023 Contemporary Showcase, Hasht Cheshmeh Art Space, Kashan

2024 Zastar, Saless Gallery, Tehran

2024 Cock-a-doodle-doo, Negah Gallery, Tehran

2025 In White, Javid Gallery, Tehran

2025 Poets, Artibition Gallery, Tehran

2025 Iran in Posters, Nicolas Flamel Gallery, Paris

CINEMATIC WORK

Filmmaking

1974 Directed his first short film The Traveler

1987 Directed Where Is the Friend’s Home?

1992 Directed Life, and Nothing More...

1994 Directed Through the Olive Trees

2001 Directed the documentary ABC Africa about the AIDS crisis in Uganda

2002 Wrote and directed Ten

1995 Wrote the screenplay for The White Balloon (directed by Jafar Panahi)

2012 Directed Like Someone in Love

Film Festivals & Awards

1990 Roberto Rossellini Award

1991 Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard section, Cannes Film Festival

1992 Cinema Award of El Cortes

1993 François Truffaut Award

1994 Honored at Cannes for Through the Olive Trees

1995 Pier Paolo Pasolini Award

1995 Federico Fellini Gold Medal

2013 Medal of Honor from the Government of Japan

2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival

2016 Became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars)

Jury Memberships

1993 Jury Member, Cannes Film Festival

1995 Jury Member, Venice Film Festival

2002 Jury Member, Cinéfondation and Short Films, Cannes

2014 Jury President, Cinéfondation and Short Films, Cannes

Special Honors

2012 Close-Up (1990) ranked #42 in BFI’s Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time

Abbas Kiarostami's Artworks (11 Artworks)

See All

For Display

Abbas Kiarostami

Untitled

Digital77x110 cm

For Display

Abbas Kiarostami

Untitled

Digital75x103 cm

For Display

Abbas Kiarostami

Untitled

Digital69x102 cm

For Display

Abbas Kiarostami

Untitled

Digital90x60 cm

Abbas Kiarostami's Exhibitions

In Person - Online

POETS

Artibition

Group

May 30, 2025 - June 21, 2025

In Person - Online

Zero Auction Photography

online artibition auction

Group

June 9, 2023 - June 12, 2023

In Person - Online

9th Artibition auction

online artibition auction

Group

August 27, 2021 - September 4, 2021

In Person - Online

Collectionner

Artibition

Group

January 25, 2019 - February 19, 2019

Related Blogs

A review of the works of the "Poets" exhibition

Shahrzad Royaee

July 8, 2025

A review of the works of the "Poets" exhibition

What we know about the poet is not just poetry, but the artist's ongoing consciousness that takes on another life in every artistic and biological context. The intertwining of arts by artists is not a new phenomenon, but the artist's distinctive footprint in the works of every artistic field reminds us of a common boundary between her poetry and painting.The word, as the birthplace of thought, is a bridge for the birth of arts, and the image and color in painting are also created from this birthplace. This common boundary between the arts of an artist can be read as follows, in the words of Martin Heidegger:"All art is poetry in its essence, and every poem has a breadth as wide as the length of the language." Therefore, every painting by a poet can only be recognized through familiarity with their poetry. Encountering the works in this exhibition contains poetry and a passion for the poets' unspoken layers."

"Poets" in the movement of words and motifs

Shahrzad Royaee

May 28, 2025

"Poets" in the movement of words and motifs

A group exhibition titled “Poets” will open on Friday, June 29, at Artibition Gallery. The exhibition features works by contemporary Iranian poets who have had a presence or experience in the art of painting. The artists in the “Poets” exhibition include: Sohrab Sepehri, Abbas Kiarostami, Forough Farrokhzad, Yadollah Royae, Ahmadreza Ahmadi, Mohammad Ebrahim Jafari, Javad Mojabi, Ardeshir Rostami, Rasoul Younan, and Sara Jafari.

Shahrzad Royaee

April 9, 2025

At the invitation of the roads

The truth of travel is on the roads. It is impossible to imagine travel without a road, and no destination is permissible without a road. The road is a hope of going and arriving or of being free from getting lost, unaware that what this road offers us is the destination. The journey to any phenomenon and any corridor from inside to outside passes through a road whose importance has been repeatedly recalled in works of visual art, cinema, and literature. The road knows better than anyone when we should arrive, and from this perspective, it is not indifferent to spring, which knows very well when it should arrive. In addition, the Iranian New Year holiday is linked to the road for us, and this practice has created an opportunity to look at the road through the eyes of artists.

Shahrzad Royaee

August 1, 2023

Rain from the canvas window and lens

An artist like Abbas Kiarostami has preserved images with a very distinctive and distinctive look of rain in front and behind the glass. From Rembrandt, Gustave Caillebotte, John Falter and Wassily Kandinsky to Gerhard Richter, they have all looked at rain through the lens of their own form and style, and among Iranian painters, contemporary names such as Shivash Khoshbakht and Siavash Mazloumi are still known for creating works with the theme of rain.