A collection of 40 paintings by celebrated Iranian painter Nasser Ovissi, is on display in Tehran.
A unique feature of the exhibition titled ‘Poetic Paintings,’ is that it displays some of his rarely seen works, which Ovissi himself has sent to Sohrab Art Gallery, and are not gathered from art collectors, ISNA reported.
Ovissi’s works are poetic, flowing between painting and calligraphy. A common element is beautiful faces of women and elegant, powerful horses in bright and shining colors.
He portrays a Seljuqi (Turkish Sunni Muslim dynasty ruling over Persia (Iran) during 11th and 12th century) and Qajari (‘Persianized’ royal family of Turkic origin, which ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925) point of view in his works, creating a landmark in the history of art, as his contemporaries did.
Known as a painter who illustrates his poetries, Ovissi has a scrutinizing sharp view over Iranian painting style.
“My work is dedicated to the beauty of life and I hope those who see my work will walk away with the experience of beauty,” he wrote on his personal website.
The exhibition is underway until October 30 at Sohrab Art Gallery, No.5, Niloufar Sq., 3rd St., Khorramshahr Ave.
Ovissi, 81, studied law and political sciences in the University of Tehran and graduated in art from Beaux Fine Art in Italy. He was also a diplomat and cultural attaché at the Iranian Embassy in Rome and Madrid. He currently resides in Virginia in the US.
Exhibitions in Nour Foundation in New York (2004), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center (2003), Embassy of Spain in Washington DC and Persian Cultural Center in Los Angeles (2002), National Gallery of Art in Amman, Jordan, and Original Art Gallery in France (2001) are among his activities.
He won the first prize in the drawing competition in Tehran (1961), grand prize in biennale of fine arts in Tehran (1962), fourth prize in biennale of Tehran (1964), grand prize at Monaco Contemporary Art Exhibition in France (1974) and many more.
Ovissi is the author of several books including ‘Omar Khayyam Etchings’ (1978), ‘M. Giacommozzi’ (1967) and ‘Giulio Carlo Argan’ (1967).
