Charles Hossein Zenderoudi ( fa, (شارل) حسین زنده‌رودی; born March 11, 1937) is an Iranian painter, calligrapher and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, known as a pioneer of Iranian modern art and as one of the earliest artists to incorporate Arabic calligraphy elements into his artwork. He is a pioneer of the Saqqa-Khaneh movement, a genre of neo-traditional modern art found in Iran that is rooted in a history of coffee-house paintings and

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...

visual elements. He lives in Paris and New York.

Biography

Hossein Zenderoudi was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran on March 11, 1937. His family was deeply religious, and they often read the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

. Zenderoudi attended the Fine Art College of

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

in the 1950s to study painting and calligraphy. He was active in the arts community in Iran, through his membership of art groups between 1958 and 1960, he became one of the founders of the Saqqakhaneh movement, which explored the use of

visual elements and calligraphy in art. He influenced generations of artists internationally. After winning an award at the 2nd annual Tehran Painting Biennial in 1960, he moved in 1961 to Paris, France and later became a French national. In 2008, his painting titled ''Tchaar Bagh'' was sold at Christie's international auction in Dubai for $1.6 million. There has been controversy around this artist's legacy of work and his rights to certification of his artwork, including his family estate/foundation certifying (or denying certification) of his work retroactively. Zenderoudi’s granddaughter is the French singer-songwriter, Barbara Pravi, who represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, finishing 2nd place.

Work

Collections

Hossein Zenderoudi's artwork held in permanent museum collections: *''K+L+32+H+4. Mon père et moi (My Father and I)'' (1962), mixed-media on board, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, New York *''Miuz Skfe'' (1971), oil on canvas, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. France *''The Hand'' (1960-1961), mixed-media collage,

Grey Art Gallery The Grey Art Gallery is New York University’s fine art museum, located on historic Washington Square Park, in New York City's Greenwich Village. As a university art museum, the Grey Art Gallery functions to collect, preserve, study, document, in ...

at New York University (NYU), New York City, New York *''Who is this Hossein the world is crazy about?'' (1958), linocut print on linen,

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, London, United Kingdom, acquired by the museum in 2011

Awards

* 1958 - Prize at the Paris BiennialAli, W., ''Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity,'' University of Florida Press, 1997, p. `165 * 1964 – Cagnes-sur-Mer prize * 1959 – Award of the Iran-America Society, Tehran * 1961 – Laureate of the Paris Biennial, France * 1962 – Laureate of the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

, Italy

References

External links