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Reza Derakhshani, a painter and musician, was born in 1952 in Semnan, Iran. By blending traditional Persian art with Western abstract expressionism, he has developed a distinctive visual language that reinterprets classical Persian miniature in a contemporary context. Derakhshani began his studies in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, and later continued at the Art Center College of Design in California. He studied under prominent artists such as Hannibal Alkhas, Marcos Grigorian, and Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam. Derakhshani gained early recognition in the 1970s with solo exhibitions at Ghandriz and Seyhoun galleries in Tehran. After teaching at the University of Tehran, he emigrated to the United States and later to Europe. In 2002, he returned to Iran and exhibited his works at venues such as the Iranian Artists Forum, Niavaran Cultural Center, Tarahan Azad Gallery, Gallery Mah, and Gallery Khaak. He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iran, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. His work has been showcased at major institutions including Leila Heller Gallery (New York, Dubai), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Opera Gallery (London), Sofia Contemporary Art Gallery (London), and the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.
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Education
1976 Bachelor of Visual Arts, University of Tehran, Iran
1978 Continued studies in Visual Arts, Pasadena School of Art, California, USA
1983 Immigrated to the United States of America
1999 Immigrated to Italy
2003 Returned to Iran
Solo Exhibitions
1971 Ghandriz Gallery, Tehran
1974 Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran
1977 Iran Gallery, Tehran
1992 Noor Foundation Gallery, New York
1993 Lawson Gallery, Seattle
1994 Il Punto di Svolta Gallery, Rome
1994 Azad Art Gallery, Tehran
1995 Montclair State University
2002 "From the Beginning Until Today," Iranian Artists’ Forum, Tehran
2003 "Small Works on Paper," Azad Art Gallery, Tehran
2003 Caterina Pazzi Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art
2003 Niavaran Cultural Center, Tehran
2005 Etemad Gallery, Tehran
2007 "Nocturne," from the Khosrow and Shirin series, Mah Gallery, Tehran
2007 XVA Gallery, Dubai
2007 Seyhoun Gallery, Los Angeles
2011 Janine Rubeiz Gallery, Beirut
2011 "The Circus of Life," Dar Al-Funoon & Jam Art Gallery, Kuwait
2012 "Every Day and Every Night," Kashya Hildebrand Gallery, Zurich
2021 "The Night Brings the Light, Every Day and Every Night," Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai
2022 "Recent Works of Reza Derakhshani," Espace Muray, Geneva
2023 "Every Night White and Every Day Black," Podgorny Robinson Gallery, Saint-Paul-de-Vence
2024 "I Paint Your Grace, I Paint Your Pain, I Paint Love," Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai
Group Exhibitions
1976 Museum, University of Tehran Gallery
1976 Mehr Gallery, Tehran
1977 Tham Gallery, London
1979 Lorrie Dunn Gallery, Long Beach
1994 City Hall Museum, Anzio, Italy
2003 Assi Menegini Gallery, Rome
2003 6th Tehran Contemporary Painting Biennial, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
2004 Mah Gallery, Tehran
2004 "Persian Gardens," Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
2005 Mah Gallery, Tehran
2011 "Splendidness," Salsali Private Museum, Dubai
2011 Mah Gallery, Tehran
2012 "Letters in Motion," Kuwait
2012 "The Rule and Its Exception," Deborah Colton Gallery, Houston
2012 "Padowand," Coburn Gallery, Colorado College
2021 "A Rare Collection of Modern Iranian Art," Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai
2021 "Masters of Art," Negah Gallery, Tehran
2021 "Memorabilia," Soo Contemporary Collection, Tehran
2021 "Basketball Goes Iranian," Nicolas Flamel Gallery, Paris
2021 "The Liam Collection," Liam Gallery, Tehran
2021 "Winter Collection of Veterans 1400," Shirin Gallery, Tehran
2021 "Essential Material," A Gallery, Tehran
2022 "Mohammad Siyah Qalam Prize – Invited Artists," Azad Art Gallery, Tehran
2022 "Exploration – Search," EX Homa, Tehran
2022 "The Modern Collector," Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2023 "Masters of Modern Art," H Gallery, Tehran
2023 "The Modern Collector," Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2023 "The Journey," H Gallery, Tehran
2023 "Selected Contemporary Artists," Art Center, Tehran
2023 "Standing in Memory," Sohrab Gallery, Tehran
2023 "Veterans Art Exhibition," Negah Gallery, Tehran
2025 "A Collection," Plus 2, Tehran
2025 "The Collector," Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2025 "Three-Bladed," EX Homa, Tehran
2025 "Glorious Illuminations; Contemporary Art from Iran," Middle East Institute, Washington D.C.
2026 "And Again, Awakening," Eve Gallery, Tehran
Art Fairs
2011 Abu Dhabi Art Fair, UAE
2011 Art Dubai, UAE
2011 Art Basel Miami
2011 Art Istanbul, Turkey
2012 SCOPE Basel Art Fair
2012 Abu Dhabi Art Fair, UAE
2012 Art Dubai, UAE
2021 Art Dubai with Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai
2021 Art Dubai with Plus 2, Dubai
2021 The Armory Show with Leila Heller Gallery, New York
2021 Asia Now with Azad Art Gallery, Paris
2021 Abu Dhabi Art with Leila Heller Gallery
2022 Volta New York with Leila Heller Gallery
2022 Menart Fair with Amennour Contemporary, Paris
Biennials
2003 6th Tehran Contemporary Painting Biennial, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
