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Aydin Aghdashloo, born in 1940 in Rasht, is an Iranian painter and graphic designer. He studied painting in his youth under the guidance of Habib Mohammadi, a prominent artist from Gilan, and soon turned to design and graphic art. After entering the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, Aghdashloo left his academic studies unfinished and pursued an independent artistic and critical path. His first solo exhibition was held in 1975, and shortly afterward he played an influential role in founding the Reza Abbasi Museum and teaching at Alzahra University. Aghdashloo’s visual language is a fusion of nostalgia, decay, and classical aesthetics. In series such as Memories of Destruction, Years of Fire and Snow, and Enigma, he draws inspiration from Renaissance masterpieces, reinterpreting them through a subtle surreal lens to explore themes of deterioration and the passage of time. His work Memories of Hope from the same series broke the record for the highest auction price of an Iranian artwork at the Tehran Auction. In the 1980s, Aghdashloo expanded his practice to include documentary filmmaking on the history of Iranian painting, film poster design, and writing analytical essays, bridging the gap between visual art and art scholarship. Today, his works are held in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and major private collections.
Professional and Educational Background
1971–1973 – Taught at various art colleges
1976 – Co-founded the Reza Abbasi Museum and served as its first director
1979 – Taught at Al-Zahra University and resumed academic activity
1981 – Founded a private academy for teaching graphic design and painting
2000 – Lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, University of Kerman
Research and Artistic Activities
1961–1963 – Wrote art critiques for the quarterly magazine Art and Thought
1974 – Began the renowned series Memories of Destruction
1975 – Collaborated with National Iranian Television to produce the educational program The Way of Seeing
1977 – Authored and interpreted studies on Persian calligraphy and architecture
1981–1982 – Researched and narrated a series of 13 documentary films on the history of Iranian painting
1989 – Published the collection Portraits of Myself
1992–1997 – Published three books on art and art criticism
Solo Exhibitions
1975 – Iran-America Society, Tehran
1975 – Persian Calligraphy, Negarestan Museum, Tehran
1976 – Iran-America Society, Tehran
2000 – Seihoun Gallery, Tehran
2024 – Gallery B, Tehran
Selected Group Exhibitions
2001–2002 – Contemporary Art of Iran, Barbican Centre and Christie’s, London
2004 – Hunt in Paradise, Milan
2011–2018 – Exhibited at Mah, Afrand, Negar, Shokouh, Didi, Azad Art Designers, and Artibition galleries, Tehran
2021 – From Object to Figure, Mojdeh Gallery, Tehran
2021 – Turning Point, Liam Gallery, Tehran
2021 – Masters of Art, Negah Gallery, Tehran
2021 – Great Masters of Modern Art, H Gallery, Tehran
2023 – Selected Contemporary Artists, Art Center, Tehran
2024 – Multiplied, Yafteh Gallery, Tehran
2024 – Beyond the Mirage, Mellal Gallery, Tehran
2025 – In the Path of Iranian Art History, Saless Gallery, Tehran
2025 – Fragments of Iranian Modernity, Foundry, Dubai
Honors and Awards
1982 – Nominated for the Crystal Simorgh Award for Best Poster, for the film Hajji Washington
2015 – Received the Chevalier of Arts and Letters medal from the French government
