mohammad ali shivaee (kakou)

Mohammad Ali Shivaei, known as Kako, was born in 1934 in Shiraz. In 1955, he entered the Boys’ School of Fine Arts in Tehran and, after ranking first among the students of the 1958–1959 academic year, received a scholarship from the institution. That same year, Shivaei traveled to Paris to continue his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts. Considered one of the pioneers of modern art in Iran, and among the earliest Iranian artists to engage with Cubism and collage, Shivaei—under the influence of Picasso and Braque—developed a highly personal visual language through his use of line, plane, composition, and form. This approach led to a distinctive style that can be described as expressive Cubism. He was also notable for his experimental use of materials; many of his paintings were created using collage techniques, incorporating cut pieces of fabric. The themes and atmosphere of his works, shaped by the artist’s mystical and contemplative worldview, acquired a distinctly Eastern sensibility. In addition to numerous solo and group exhibitions held in Iran, his works were exhibited internationally in Italy, France, and Greece. His first solo exhibition, which focused on his collage works, was held in 1971 and played an important role in introducing this technique to the Iranian art community. Shivaei remained active as an artist until the early 1980s, when he made a sudden decision to return to his hometown of Shiraz and withdrew from artistic practice for nearly a decade. In 1992, he returned to the professional art scene and resumed exhibiting his works, continuing this path until his death in 2005.