Hossein Zenderoudi

Charles Hossein Zenderoudi (born March 11, 1937) 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 pioneer of the Saqqakhaneh School of Art, a genre of neo-traditional modern art found in Iran that is rooted in a history of coffee-house paintings and Shia Islam visual elements. He lives in Paris and New York.

Biography
Hossein Zenderoudi was born in Tehran, Iran, on March 11, 1937. His family was deeply religious, and they often read the Quran.

Zenderoudi attended the Tehran College of Decorative Arts in the 1950s to study painting and calligraphy under the mentorship of Parviz Tanavoli and Marcos Grigorian. He was active in the arts community in Iran, through his membership of art groups between 1958 and 1960, alongside Parviz Tanavoli, he became one of the key figures of the Saqqakhaneh School of Art, which explored the use of Shia Islam popular 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.

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

Awards

 * 1958 - Prize at the Paris Biennial
 * 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, Italy