Aliakbar Sanati

Ali Akbar San’ati was a painter and sculptor born in 1916 (1295 SH) in Kerman, Iran. After the death of his father during childhood, he was placed in the San’ati Orphanage in Kerman. His artistic talent was discovered early on by Haj Ali Akbar San’ati, the director of the orphanage. Under his guidance, San’ati enrolled in the School of Fine Arts (Madraseh-ye Sanaye'-e Mostazrafeh) in 1928 (1307 SH), where he studied painting and sculpture, graduating in 1940 (1319 SH). He learned watercolor painting from the German artist Albert Hohmann, the technique of pictorial mosaic from Ali Rokhsaz, and sculpture from Abolhassan Sedighi. One of his notable works is the statue Angel of Justice, placed at the entrance of the Palace of Justice in Tehran. San’ati possessed exceptional skill in painting, especially in watercolor, for which he gained particular fame. With a deep social awareness, he created numerous works focusing on the lives and struggles of the working class, producing paintings and sculptures that reflected their reality. He also left behind a distinct and lasting body of work in watercolor portraiture. Ali Akbar San’ati passed away in Tehran in 2006 (1385 SH).