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Hannibal Al-Khass, an Assyrian-Iranian painter, was born in 1930 in Kermanshah and gained a prominent position in Iranian art through his extensive work in painting, teaching, translation, and writing. After studying under Jafar Petgar, he went to the United States to continue his education and earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His artistic vision developed during this period, with a focus on the figurative representation of the human form, which became a signature element of his work. Upon returning to Iran in 1959, Al-Khass founded and managed the country’s first modern art gallery, Gilgamesh Gallery, showcasing works by emerging Iranian artists. During his academic career, he taught at the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Fine Arts and at Islamic Azad University, mentoring numerous students including Masoud Saadodin, Nasrollah Moslemian, Niloufar Qaderinejad, Naser Palangi, Bahram Dabiri, Hadi Ziaoddini, and Mohammad Ali Beni Asadi. Hannibal Al-Khass passed away in 2010 due to cancer, leaving a lasting legacy in Iranian contemporary art.
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Professional Experience and Teaching
1939: Teaching painting, drawing, and art history at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran
1943: Teaching art at Monticello College, later becoming head of the art department
1948–1959: Teaching at the University of Tehran for eleven years
1959: Teaching art at the Assyrian-American Civic Club in Turlock and other colleges and universities
1971: Teaching at Islamic Azad University, private painting instruction, and working as an art critic
1943: Lithographer
1976: Member of the jury at the Contemporary Art Museum Biennale
Solo Exhibitions
1948: Vox House
1964: History of the Assyrians in the 20th Century
1974: 100 Watercolor Paintings Dedicated to Women’s Rights
2018: “When the Bird Died,” Vista Plus
2019: “When the Bird Died,” Vista Gallery
2019: “When the Bird Died,” Doran Gallery, Isfahan
Group Exhibitions
1953: Annual Student Exhibition, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1959: Iran-America Society
1960: Tehran Biennale
1960: Reza Abbasi Gallery
1961: Gilgamesh Gallery
1962: Tehran Biennale
1963: Galerie Jarreh
1964: Webster College
1964: Monticello College Annual Show
1965: Friends of the Middle East
1970: Seyhoun Gallery
1971: Tehran Art Gallery
1973: Ghondriz Gallery
1974: Sheikh Gallery
1979: Assyrian Society of Tehran
1979: Hosseinieh Ershad
1979: University of Tehran
1980: Museum of Modern Art
1986: Assyrian American Foundation, Berkeley
1987: Hoorian Gallery, Oakland
1990: Ashur Bani Pal Library, Chicago
1991: Loyola University, Chicago
1992: Seyhoun Gallery
1993: Afrand Gallery
1993: Afrand Gallery with Niloufar Qaderinejad
1995: Museum of Modern Art Biennale
1996: Iran Cultural Society, Mahatma Gandhi Hall, St. Louis
1996: Pomona College, Los Angeles
1996: Arya Gallery
1997: New Jersey
1997: Assyrian American Association of Southern California
2010: Celebration of Iranian Artists Association
2017: “Amordad,” Afrand Gallery
2017: “96+,” Afrand Gallery
2017: “Second Anniversary of Negar Gallery,” Negar Gallery
2018: “Amordad,” Afrand Gallery
2018: “Free Sale,” Free Designers Gallery
2018: “Notebook,” Afrand Gallery
2018: “Alkhasism,” Artibition Gallery
2018: “Painting Exhibition,” Shekveh Gallery
2018: “To the Color of the Sky,” Art Land Gallery
2018: “Artibition Summer,” Artibition Gallery
2018: “Special Sale,” Artibition Gallery
2018: “Collector,” Artibition Gallery
2021: “10th Collector,” Artibition Gallery
2021: “Mirror in Mirror,” Museum of Contemporary Art
2021: “Bengar,” Negar Gallery
2021: “Opportunity,” House of Iranian Artists
2021: “Main Material,” Gallery A
2022: “Resize,” Artibition Gallery
2022: “Treasury 1,” Ella Gallery
2022: “Lotfi; Intersection of Celebrities 2,” Gohye Gallery
2022: “Women – Online Exhibition,” Artibition Gallery
2023: “Resize,” Artibition Gallery
2023: “Figure – Online Exhibition,” Artibition Gallery
2023: “Selections from Seventy Years of Iranian Sculpture,” Art Center
2023: “Modern Collector,” Artibition Gallery
2023: “Gentlemen Painters, in the Poet’s House,” Free Designers Gallery
2023: “Selection of Contemporary Artists,” Art Center
2023: “Veteran Artists Exhibition,” Negah Gallery
2024: “Collector,” Artibition Gallery
2024: “Selections of Works under 200 Million Tomans,” Sohrab Gallery
2024: “Form and Figure,” Eve Gallery
