Rahele Yousefi
November 27, 2024
What is known today as Iranian contemporary art is the result of the efforts of artists who started different trends 150 years ago, more precisely, the trend of modern Iranian art started in the 1320s.
Hossein (Charles) Zenderoudi, a modernist painter and printmaker, was born in 1937 in Tehran. In 1956, he entered the Boys’ School of Fine Arts, where he studied under prominent artists such as Shokouh Riyahi and Marco Grigorian. In 1958, he held his first solo exhibition and received an award from the Iran-America Society group exhibition. By 1960, he became one of the first students at the newly established School of Decorative Arts, where he began developing an interest in traditional symbols and Iranian folk art. In 1961, Zenderoudi traveled to France to participate in the Paris Biennale. That same year, he won the biennale’s grand prize and received a scholarship to continue his studies. Exposure to European avant-garde movements and the emerging Pop Art scene deeply influenced his artistic direction. Upon returning to Iran, his collaboration with Parviz Tanavoli led to the formation of the Saqqakhaneh School—an art movement that merged Iranian traditional motifs with a contemporary visual language. Zenderoudi went on to win several prestigious international awards, including those from the Tehran, Venice, and São Paulo biennials. He also contributed to projects such as the illustrated Quran published for UNESCO and large-scale murals at airports in Saudi Arabia. His works are part of the permanent collections of renowned institutions such as MoMA, the Centre Pompidou, and the British Museum.
Solo Exhibitions
1993 – Sharjah Museum, United Arab Emirates
1995 – Celestial Paintings, Châteauroux, France
2002 – Exhibition of Early Works, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran
2021 – Selected Lithographs from the 1970s by Hossein Zenderoudi, Art Center, Tehran
Group Exhibitions
2016 – Behnam Bakhtiar Foundation, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France
2017 – Thirty-Two Perspectives, Maryam Fasihi Herandi Gallery, Tehran
2017 – 96+, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2018 – Free Sale, Designers’ Gallery, Tehran
2018 – Saqqakhaneh, Meem Gallery, Dubai
2018 – Amordad, Afrand Gallery, Tehran
2018 – Collection Sale 97, Han Gallery, Shiraz
2018 – In Memory of Akbar Radi, Aria Gallery, Tehran
2019 – 10, 20, 30, Azad Gallery, Tehran
2019 – Iran Print, Meem Gallery, Dubai
2019 – Ganjineh Negar, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2020 – Until the End..., Ivan Gallery, Tehran
2020 – One by One, Designers’ Gallery, Tehran
2020 – Mafar, Azad Gallery, Tehran
2021 – Armghan, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran
2021 – A Rare Collection of Modern Iranian Art, Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai
2021 – Liam Collection, Liam Gallery, Tehran
2021 – Rational Weekend, Homa Gallery, Tehran
2021 – Soft Edge of the Blade, Out of Hands Project, London
2021 – Selected Modern Works from the Lal Collection, O Gallery, Tehran
2022 – Resize, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2022 – Selected 6, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2023 – Resize, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2023 – Roots, Shakhe Tooba Gallery, Tehran
2024 – Saqqakhaneh, Birth of a Dream, Javid Gallery, Tehran
2025 – Iran in Posters, Nicolas Flamel Gallery, Paris
Biennials
1960 – Participated in the Venice Biennale
1961 – Award Winner at the Paris Biennale
1961 – Participated in the São Paulo Biennale
1962 – Award Winner at the Venice Biennale
1963 – Award Winner at the São Paulo Biennale
Awards and Honors
1970 – Received the Honorary Medal from the International Center for Aesthetic Research, Turin, Italy
1972 – Publication of an illustrated edition of the Quran
