Aydin Aghdashloo

Aydin Aghdashloo is a painter, educator, and art writer, born in 1940 in Rasht. As a teenager, he began working at an advertising agency. In 1959, he entered the Faculty of Fine Arts and pursued his studies there. He made two educational films on traditional Iranian art and architecture for the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, and he also served as the director of the Reza Abbasi Museum—important activities he undertook before the Revolution. In 1981, he began designing book covers and teaching—both at Alzahra University and privately. He continued teaching and private practice in that year. In 2000 (1379 in the Iranian calendar), he became a member of the selection jury for the first International Biennial of Islamic World Painting. He is also known for authenticating old artworks. After a period focusing on Renaissance and surrealist painting, he began reconstructing—and intentionally destroying—old masterpieces, resulting in his *Memories of Destruction* series. Initially inspired by 15th- and 16th-century European painters, after the Revolution he turned to painting works from the Safavid and Qajar eras. In 1981, he created a series of watercolors titled *Notes from Malek’s Garden*. His *Crumpled Miniatures* series stands out for its structural skill. Among Aghdashloo’s lasting works are *Status No. 1*, *Identity*, *Eulogy of Sandro Botticelli*, *Memories of Fire and Snow*, *Intercession of the Angels*, and *Memories of Destruction*.