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.
Jalil Ziapour, the founder of modern painting in Iran, was born in 1920 in Bandar Anzali. After studying at the Conservatory of Music, he enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, where he created his first Expressionist works. Following the award of a scholarship, he moved to France and joined the Académie André Lhote, where he became deeply familiar with Cubism and the social role of art. His time in France marked the beginning of his modernist thinking, both in his artworks and theoretical writings. Upon returning to Iran in 1948, Ziapour established his personal studio and, along with a group of progressive artists, founded the cultural association Khorus Jangi (“The Fighting Rooster”), which published a magazine dedicated to modern art with a critical perspective. Although the publication was soon shut down due to political misunderstandings and opposition from traditionalist circles, Ziapour remained at the forefront of artistic transformation in Iran. Until the end of his life—and despite illness—he continued to teach modern Iranian art at universities and played a pioneering role in introducing modernism and critiquing traditional art in Iran. Jalil Ziapour passed away in Tehran in 1999.
1941 – Entered the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran
1945 – Graduated with honors from the University
1945 – Moved to France to pursue further studies
1946 – Received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris
1948 – Returned to Tehran
1948 – Established his personal studio on Takht-e Jamshid Street
1949 – Co-founded the literary and cultural society Khorus Jangi ("The Fighting Rooster")
1955 – Created the paintings Kol Amir and Gol Bahar
1956 – Participated in the Venice Biennale as a representative of Iran
1960 – Won first prize at the Second Tehran Biennale for his painting The Kurdish Woman of Quchan
1960 – Participated in the Second Tehran Biennale
1999 – Passed away in Tehran, Iran
2011 – Commemorative event "Day of Painting: In Memory of Jalil Ziapour" held in Bandar Anzali
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