Hossein Zenderoudi


Charles Hossein Zenderoudi is an Iranian painter, calligrapher and sculptor, 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 associated as 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 Shiʿite Islam visual elements. He lives in Paris and New York.

Biography

Born in Tehran, Iran on March 11, 1937. He attended the Fine Art College of University of Tehran in the 1950s to study painting and calligraphy. Zenderoudi 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 Shiʿite Islam 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.
His painting titled, Tchaar Bagh was sold at Christie's international auction in Dubai for $1.6 million in 2008. 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 of his work retroactively.

Work

Collections

Hossein Zenderoudi's artwork held in permanent museum collections: