Iran Darroudi is a revered Iranian painter, director, writer, art critic and university professor. She was born in 1936 in Khorasan to a prominent dynasty. Her paternal family were well-known merchants in the north-eastern province, while her maternal family were caucasian merchants, who travelled to Iran following the Soviet Revolution and took residence in Mashhad.
Darroudi discovered her passion for painting at a young age. After completing her secondary school education, she travelled to France and continued her studies at the University of Fine Arts (École des Beaux-Art). To learn the secrets of successful colour mixing, she headed to the Belgian capital and attained a course in "stained glass" at The Imperial and Royal Academy of Brussels. Darroudi completed her education with a degree in the History of Art at Ecole du Louvre in Paris.
In 1968 Darroudi was commissioned by the ITT corporation to create an artwork, entitled Iranian Petroleum, on the occasion of the launch of a pipeline from Abadan to Mashahr. The painting generated a great deal of media interest and was published in the likes of Time magazine, Newsweek and Life Magazine -- to name but a few. The artwork was later dubbed "Our Veins, the Earth's Veins," by Ahmad Shamlu, a distinguished Iranian poet.
Darroudi continues to add to her ever-growing collection. To date she has held 60 exhibitions worldwide, and contributed to some 200 group exhibitions across Europe, Central America, Japan and of course her homeland, Iran.
Following her success in arts, Darroudi took on a new adventure. In 1966 she began to learn directing at the RCL institute in New York City. That's where she met her husband, Parviz Moghadasi, who was also studying television directing at the time. The two began to collaborate with each-other on various projects at a newly established television production company. Over the period of six years, they produced over 80 documentaries about both Iranian and international artists. Her work was consequently recognised by Iran's university of Sharif, where she was invited to lecture the History of Art as an honorary professor.
Darroudi's lifetime achievements include her 60 individual exhibitions and 200 group exhibitions, art critiques published in various newspapers, colourful speeches in cultural and artistic establishments around the world, some 80 collaborative documentaries, and last but not least an autobiography, "Distance Between Two Dots".
These are the results of more than 50 years of her work in Contemporary Art of Iran. The same activities that she carried out while rubbing shoulders with great individuals such as Andrew Marlowe, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Antonio Rodriguez, Ahmad Shamloo etc.
Today she's hailed as one of the most influential artists in the world, with her artwork displayed at internationally recognised venues such as the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts, the Kerman Museum of Fine Arts, the Sa'dabad Palace, the Saheb Gharani-e Palace, Belgium's Ixelles Museum and a number of exhibitions of Contemporary Art in New York.
Her latest project takes Darroudi back to her motherland, where she has donated some 150 works of art to a foundation named after her to be put on permanent display for the people of Iran.
Iran Darroudi (Persian: ایران درودی born September 2, 1936 in Mashhad) is a contemporary Iranian artist, living between Tehran and Paris. Her art consists of surreal paintings dealing with Iranian themed imagery and strong lighting.
Born in Mashhad, Iran to a family consisting of traders from Khorasan on her fathers side and on her mothers side the family was Caucasian merchants who had settled in Mashhad. Her family moved to Hamburg, Germany for her fathers business in 1937 and by the early 1940s they were forced to leave because of the beginnings of World War II. By 1945 her family returned to Mashhad.
Darroudi studied at Ecole Superier des Beaux-Arts in Paris, history of art at the École du Louvre in Paris, stained glass at the Royal Academy of Brussels, and television direction and production at the RCA Institute in New York City.
Darroudi's first solo exhibition was held in Miami in 1958 at the invitation of the Florida State Art Center.
She wrote articles on the history of art and art criticism for the conservative Iranian newspaper, Kayhan.
In 1966 in New York City, she met and married Parviz Moghaddasi, who was studying television direction. The couple worked at the newly established Iranian television organization as producer and director for six years.
In 1968 she made 55 minute long documentary about the 1968 Venice Biennial. She was appointed as an honorary professor at the Industrial University of Tehran, teaching art history. In 1969 the ITT Corporation commissioned her to paint Iranian Oil. She held successful exhibitions in Paris and at the Atrium Artist Gallery, Geneva, and a month later at Galarie 21, Zurich.
In 1976 she exhibited at the Mexican Museum of Art, where Antonio Rodriquez praised her as one of the world's four greatest painters. In 1978 she moved to France.
Her husband died in 1985 and her first artwork after his death was Assumption of Parviz.
In 1974 a film on Darroudi's life directed by Victor Stoloff was broadcast on American television.
In 1997, her autobiography, In the Distance Between Two Points, was published.
In 2009 a documentary Iran Darroudi: The Painter of Ethereal Moments produced by Bahman Maghsoudlou, focused on the life and art of Darroundi.
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