Behzad Shishegaran

Behzad Shishegaran

Behzad Shishegaran, a painter, designer, and graphic artist, was born in 1952 in Tehran. He studied at the Tehran High School of Fine Arts from 1971 to 1974 and later attended the Young Cinema Society, where he completed a course in film directing between 1976 and 1978. In 1987, Shishegaran earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the Faculty of Decorative Arts. Between 1976 and 1981, together with his brothers, Kourosh and Esmail, he designed and printed posters with political and social themes, which they displayed on city walls. Shishegaran held his first solo exhibition in 1989 at the Silver Publishing House. In 1998, a book titled One Hundred Portraits of the Hero Takhti was published, featuring his designs. During the 1980s and 1990s, Shishegaran primarily focused on portraits of cultural and social figures. He sought to capture the inner qualities of each individual rather than meticulously reproducing facial details. In other works, he explored chosen themes from multiple perspectives and through various techniques. Over his career, he has designed portraits of more than 700 cultural and artistic figures from Iran and around the world. Shishegaran also ventured into digital painting. Notable works include portraits inspired by miniature art, a digital painting series on the U.S. war against Iraq, depictions of Ahmad Shamlou, and a range of cultural, social, and political posters.

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Memberships
2008–2011, Board Member, Iranian Painters Association
—, Honorary Member, Iranian Painters Association

Solo Exhibitions
2025, Shamlou – One Hundred Portraits, Dena, Tehran
2015, Sculpture Photography Exhibition, Vista Gallery
2015, Online Portrait Exhibition, on Social Media
2015, Online Variations Exhibition, on Social Media
2015, Online Exhibition, on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter
2013, Small Paintings Exhibition, Aria Gallery
2012, Statue-like Paintings Exhibition, Aria Gallery
2010, Tehran in Trance, Siahoun Gallery
2005, Miniature-like Portraits, Free Designers Gallery
2003, Paintings and Drawings for the Benefit of Bam Earthquake Victims, Reza Abbasi Museum
2000, Portraits of Ahmad Shamlou, Barg Gallery
1997, Affordable Paintings and Drawings, Private Studio
1994, Various Paintings and Drawings, Variations, A Look at the People Around Me, Green Gallery
1990, Exhibition to Aid Earthquake Victims of Gilan and Zanjan, Rasht
1990, Paintings and Drawings, Reading and Writing for the Year of Literacy, UNESCO, Siahoun Gallery
1989, Portraits of Pahlevan Takhti, Silver Publishing Center

Group Exhibitions
2025, Recovery / Seventh Series, Nian, Tehran
2024, 13th Sale of Works by Multiple Generations of Contemporary Iranian Artists, Laleh Gallery, Tehran
2024, Tale of Two Cities, H Gallery, Tehran
2024, …And No Poem Was Used, Free Designers Gallery, Tehran
2024, In Memory of Hadi Jamali 1, White Line, Tehran
2024, Pioneers of Iranian Modern Art, Third Round, Laleh Gallery, Tehran
2024, Gargas, Negah Gallery, Tehran
2023, Positive Negative Fifty, Gooya Gallery, Tehran
2023, Multiple Tens of Works, Multiple Tens of Millions, Art Center, Tehran
2023, A Look at Design, Saless, Tehran
2023, Gon be Gon, Bostan, Tehran, Behzad Shishegaran
2023, Amordad Annual 2023, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2022, Art Closer Than Ever, Sohrab Gallery, Tehran
2022, From Ink to Shadow, Gooya Gallery, Tehran
2021, Archive 2, Artibition, Tehran
2021, Opportunity, House of Iranian Artists, Tehran
2021, Weavers of Behzad Shishegaran, Naqsh Negar, Tehran, Behzad Shishegaran
2021, Amordad Annual 2021, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2021, Every Moment of This Garden, Javid, Tehran
2021, Annual Small Works Sale, Laleh Gallery, Tehran
2020, To the End…, Ivan, Tehran
2020, Archive, Artibition, Tehran
2020, Online Exhibition of Behzad Shishegaran’s Works, Vista, Tehran, Behzad Shishegaran
2020, Exhibition and Sale for COVID-19 Patients, White Line, Tehran
2019, Kado Art 2.2, Sham, Tehran
2019, +2019, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2019, Frame 50, Artibition, Tehran
2019, Comma Chain Project, Barok, Tehran
2019, Amordad Annual 2019, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2019, Neo-Expressionism in Contemporary Iranian Art, Shirin, Tehra
2018, Up to 10 Million, White Line, Tehran
2018, Collection Sale 2018, Han, Shiraz
2018, Summer Sale, Artibition, Tehran
2018, Fifth Annual Handprint Exchange, Postcard, Laleh Gallery, Tehran
2017, +2017, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2017, Amordad Annual “Still Life”, Afrand Gallery, Tehran

Books
1998, One Hundred Portraits of Pahlevan Takhti, Volume 1, Drawings, Paintings, and Graphics
2014, One Hundred Portraits of Pahlevan Takhti, Volume 2, Idea Creativity Publishing, Tehran

Awards
1991, Winner of the First National Painters Biennale, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran