Jalal Shabahangi

Jalal Shabahangi

Jalal Shabahangi, a graphic designer, painter, and sculptor, was born in 1935 in Tehran. He graduated with a degree in Graphic Design from San Jose State University in California. From 1968 to 2002, Shabahangi was a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts and also taught at other universities such as Sooreh and Shariati during this period. Shabahangi is considered a naturalist artist, with most of his works characterized by flat surfaces, gentle rhythms, and curvilinear lines. He held his first exhibition in 1970 at the University of California, Berkeley, and his second in 1972 at the Ghandeer Gallery in Tehran. In his works, the three elements of garden, plain, and tree appear as recurring motifs that embody rhythm and structure, the fusion of the representational and the abstract, vertical and horizontal relationships, and the balance between positive and negative space. He is best known for his vivid and well-composed depictions of natural landscapes—rolling hills and scattered trees in the distance—which evoke the desert regions of Iran. A strong commitment to a distinctive method and expressive language is one of the hallmarks of his artistic identity. Jalal Shabahangi passed away on August 17, 2023.

Resume

Education and Academic Activities

Graduate in Graphic Design from San Jose State University, California

1968–2002: Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran


Solo and Group Exhibitions

1960s–1970s

1970: Solo exhibition, University of California, Berkeley, USA

1972: Solo exhibition, Ghandriz Gallery, Tehran

1974: Solo exhibition, Zerwan Gallery, Tehran

1975: Solo exhibition, San Jose State University, California, USA

1978: Solo exhibition, University of Tehran

1980s–1990s

1984: Group exhibition, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

1989: Solo exhibition, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

1991: Participation in the Iranian Painters Biennial, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

1996: Solo exhibition, Bushehri Gallery, Tehran

1997: Solo exhibition, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

1998: Solo exhibition, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

1999: Solo exhibition, Faramarzi Gallery, Tehran

2000s–2010s

2001–2010: Various exhibitions (no specific titles mentioned)

2014:

Group exhibition “Barren Land,” Faramarzi Gallery

Solo exhibition of Jalal Shabahangi’s paintings, Ariana Gallery

2010s

2016–2020:

Participation in numerous group exhibitions including:

Honar Emrooz Gallery (“Between Two Days”)

Khat-e Sefid Gallery

Sar-zamin-e Honar Gallery

Solouk Gallery

Shorveh Gallery

Negar Gallery

Artibition Gallery

Mah Gallery

Azad Gallery

2021:

Solo exhibition, “A Review of Jalal Shabahangi’s Works,” Risheh 29, Tehran

Participation in over 10 group exhibitions at galleries including:

Saaleth Gallery

Honar Design Gallery

Liam Gallery

Negah Gallery

Iran Artists Forum

Gallery H

2022:

Group exhibitions at:

Iran Artists Forum (“Imagine”)

Artibition Gallery (“Resize,” “Modernism Collector”)

Oks Homa Gallery (“Essay-Exploration”)

Ella Gallery (“Treasure 1”)

Guyeh Gallery (“Lotfi; Intersection of Celebrities 2”)

2023–Present (Posthumous)

2023:

Participation in memorial group exhibitions at:

Liam Gallery (“Treasure 3”)

Artibition Gallery

Art Center

Sohrab Gallery

Atbin Gallery

Shovadon Gallery (Shushtar)

Negah Gallery

2024:

Solo exhibition, “7 Works,” Liam Gallery

Participation in numerous group exhibitions at:

Artibition Gallery

Sohrab Gallery

Javid Gallery

2025:

Participation in group exhibitions at:

Bashgah Gallery (“Continuation of the Whiteness of Day”)

Eve Gallery (“And Again, Awakening”)

Nian Gallery (“Recovery / Seventh Series”)