In Person - Online
Mehdi Sahabi (b. 1943) was an Iranian painter, sculptor, and writer. He studied for two years at the School of Decorative Arts. In 1967, he went to Italy, where he completed a filmmaking course and studied painting for about a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. After a period in France, he returned to Iran in 1971 and devoted his time to journalism and literary translation. Later, Sahabi turned to painting, holding his first solo exhibition in 1990 at Golestan Gallery. Despite his literary interests, he emphasized the quality of visual form in his artworks. He began painting in the late 1980s, initially depicting scrapped cars. Over time, he explored various painting techniques, collage-like reliefs, and assemblages featuring motifs such as masks and birds, gradually moving toward abstraction. His works are characterized by vibrant colors, a playful and optimistic outlook, and a deep attachment to life. Over his roughly three-decade artistic career, Sahabi created numerous works across painting, sculpture, and photography. He was also a renowned translator, bringing major literary works from French and Italian into Persian, most notably Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time. Mehdi Sahabi passed away in 2009.
Born in 1943 in Qazvin
1967 Studied cinema in Italy and then painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Rome
Solo Exhibitions:
1990 Solo exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran
1992 Solo exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran
1993 Solo exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran
2006 Solo exhibition, Arya Gallery, Tehran
2009 Solo exhibition, Dey Gallery, Tehran
2009 Solo exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran
2017 Solo exhibition “Mahdi Sahabi’s Unseen Works”, Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran
2018 Solo exhibition “Beloved Scraps”, Atbin Gallery, Tehran
2019 Solo exhibition commemorating the 10th anniversary of Mahdi Sahabi’s passing, Farmanfarma Gallery, Tehran
2021 Solo exhibition “A Retrospective of Mahdi Sahabi’s Works”, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran
2024 Solo exhibition “Wall Ironies”, Mojdeh Gallery, Tehran
2025 Solo exhibition with Manouchehr Safarzadeh, “Recovered Time”, Mojdeh Gallery, Tehran
Group Exhibitions:
2007 Group exhibition, Haft Negah, Niavaran Cultural Center, Tehran
2008 Group exhibition “100 Works by 100 Artists”, Golestan Gallery, Tehran
2009 Group exhibition “From Past to Tomorrow”, Dey Gallery, Tehran
2009 Group exhibition “Ear of Van Gogh”, Gallery 10, Tehran
2010 Group exhibition “Ear of Van Gogh”, Gallery 10, Tehran
2011 Group exhibition “100 Works by 100 Artists”, Golestan Gallery, Tehran
2014 Group exhibition “Faces”, Hoor Gallery, Tehran
2015 Retrospective group exhibition of the late Mahdi Sahabi’s works, Art Center Gallery, Tehran
2017 Group exhibition “From Where to Where 2”, Sales Gallery, Tehran
2017 Group exhibition, 2nd anniversary of the founding of Negar Gallery, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2018 Group exhibition, 6th International Art for Peace Festival, Pardis Mellat, Tehran
2018 Group exhibition, Summer Exhibition, Mah Gallery, Tehran
2018 Group exhibition, Free Sale, Tarahan-e Azad Gallery, Tehran
2019 Group exhibition “10–20–30”, Tarahan-e Azad Gallery, Tehran
2019 Group exhibition “Flower Walk”, Sarvenaz Gallery, Shiraz
2021 Group exhibition “I Am, What I See”, Mojdeh Gallery, Tehran
2021 Group exhibition “Along Iraj”, Iraj Zand Foundation, Tehran
2021 Group exhibition “30 Sculptures, 30 Sculptors”, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2022 Group exhibition “Resize”, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2022 Group exhibition “Modern Collector”, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2023 Group exhibition “Selected Works from 70 Years of Iranian Sculpture”, Art Center, Tehran
2023 Group exhibition, Nian Gallery, Tehran
2024 Group exhibition “Doubt or No Doubt”, Sharif Gallery, Tehran
2024 Group exhibition “Abstract Illusions”, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2024 Group exhibition “Form and Figure”, Ev Gallery, Tehran
2024 Group exhibition “Decades Project | 1950s–1940s”, Ev Gallery, Tehran
2025 Group exhibition “580 Nanometers / Yellow”, Artibition Gallery
ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.
