Ali Akbar Sadeghi

Ali Akbar Sadeghi a graduate of the College of Art, University of Tehran, is an Iranian painter and artist.

As a child, Ali Akbar Sadeghi reminisces that he would be lost in the chants of narrators that gave account of Shahnameh stories; accounts of Siavash riding on horseback, still-armored Bijan, Rostam’s arrow hitting Ashkbous in the heart, Faramarz, elephant rider, and bravery of other heroes whose names remain in Persian literature and Iranian folklore forever. In general, the lyrical, heroic world of legends is an indispensable part of Ali Akbar Sadeghi's worldview, a world whose figurative representations sometimes appear in old miniature paintings or more popular forms of art, including coffeehouse painting, reverse painting on glass, imprints on wood and paper, and stunning images in lithographed books. He began to teach painting in high school in the 1950s before entering the university in 1958. His early works were with watercolor, but as of 1959, he began oil painting and drawing soon after entering college. He initiated a particular style in Persian painting, influenced by Coffee House painting, iconography, and traditional Iranian portrait painting, following the Qajar tradition – a mixture of surrealism influenced by stained glass art. He did his early works in graphics and illustration.

After the Iranian Revolution, Sadeghi seriously pursued painting. In 1989, he founded Sabz Gallery, which actively and continuously exhibited the works of Iranian painters until 2003.

Sadeghi has been artistically active for the past 60 years.