Born 1976 Tehran, Iran
Lives and works in New York, USA
Ali Banisadr was born in Tehran in 1976 and moved to California with his family when he was a child. Banisadr once remarked that his childhood memories, notably of the Islamic revolution and the brutal Iran-Iraq war, were a mix of images, half abstract and the other half with recognizable forms. Present in all of his works is a sense of sound and movement that is due to the way in which Banisadr condenses his imagery, and chooses a wide range of colours to bring his subject to life. His figures, inspired by Persian miniature, contrast with the use of large brushstrokes to create an increasingly abstract image. As you draw closer to the painting you see that he is not only capturing the brutality that he has experienced, but also showing human evil in general. Disguised beneath the magnificence of the paintings’ overall design – despair, isolation and terror are conveyed. Ali explains, “I became fascinated with all histories of war, conspiracies, colonialism, corruption, ancient and modern battles...Opposition and conflict are at the heart of my work.“
Solo exhibitions:
2021. These Specks of Dust. Kasmin. NY
2021. Beautiful Lies. Museo Stefano Bardini and
Palazzo Vecchio. Florence. Italy
Palazzo Vecchio. Florence. Italy
2020. Ali Banisadr /Matrix 185, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
2020. Ultramarinus-Beyond the Sea, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece
2019. Ordered Disorders, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
2019. Bosch & Banisadr, Ali Banisadr: We work in shadows, Gemäldegalerie, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, AT
2019. Foreign Lands: Ali Banisadr, Het Noordbrabants Museum,'s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
2019. Micro-Macro: Ali Banisadr & Andrew Sendor, MOCA Jacksonville, FL, US
2018. The World Upside Down, BlainSouthern, Berlin
2017. Trust in the Future, Sperone Westwater, New York
2016. Frieze New York, Presented by Sperone Westwater
2015. In Medias Res, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
2015. At Once, BlainSouthern, London, UK
2014. Motherboard, Sperone Westwater, New York
2012. We haven´t landed on earth yet Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
2011. It Happened and It Never Did - Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York, USA
2010. Evidence - Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris (works on paper), France
2010. Paintings - Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2008. Paintings- Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York, USA
Group exhibitions
2021. Epic Iran Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
2021. Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians, Asia Society, New York
2021. Le Cinquiéme Printemps, Custot Gallery, Dubai
2021. The Sky was Blue the Sea was Blue and the Boy was Blue, Victoria Miro on Vortic
2021. 30 Years in Paris, Galerie Thaddeaus Ropac, Pantin, France
2021. A Boundless Drop to a Boundless Ocean, Orlando Museum of Art, Florida
2020. Artists for New York, Hauser & Wirth, New York
2020. Libro de Disegni, Galerie Isa, Mumbai, India
2020. Parley for the Oceans x Vortic, Kasmin
2020. Protean, Kasmin Gallery, New York
2020. New Editions Print Project Space, Cristea Roberts Gallery, London
2019. We Contain Multitudes, Galerie Isa, Mumbai, India (Curated by Ali Banisadr)
2018. Chaos and Awe: Painting for the 21st Century, The Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia
2018. Doodles and Disegno, BlainSouthern, Berlin, Germany
2018. Acquisitions Recentes Du Cabinet D'Art Graphique, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2018. NGORO NGORO 2, Lehderstrasse 34, Berlin, Germany
2018. New on The Wall (N.O.W.), Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH
2017. Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
2017. Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada
2016. Iranian voices: recent acquisitions of works on paper The British Museum, London, UK
2016. My Abstract World, Me Collectors Room/Olbricht Foundation, Berlin, Germany
2016. A Question of Perspective, Grimm Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland
2015. Charity for the Refugees, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg
2014. Eurasia. A view on Painting, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Pantin, France
2014. Between Worlds, Galerie Isa, Mumbai, India (Curated by Jane Neal)
Love Me, Love Me Not, Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan and its Neighbors, Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan
2013. Love Me/ Love Me Not, Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan and its Neighbors, The 55th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale,Venice, Italy
2013. Expanded Painting, Prague Biennale 6, Prague, Czech Republic
2013. Cinematic Visions: Painting at The Edge of Reality, Victoria Miro Gallery, London, UK
A Selection of Recent Acquisitions from The Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
2013. Safar/Voyage, Museum of Anthropology at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (Curated by Fereshteh Daftari)
2012. Contemporary Iranian Art in the Permanent Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
2012. Peekskill Project V, Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, New York, USA (Curated by Livia Straus & Lilly Wei)
2012. The Sound of Painting, Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana, Turin, Italy (Curated by Margherita Artoni)
2012. Lucie Fontaine : Estate Vernissage, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, USA
2012. Referencing History, Green Art Gallery, Dubai (Curated by Jane Neal)
2011. XXSmall, Miniature Museum of Contemporary Art at Haags Gemeente Museum, The Hague, Netherlands
2011. East Ex East, Brand New Gallery, Milan, Italy
2011. Visions, Monica De Cardenas, Milan, Italy
2010. Hareng Saur: Ensor en de hedendaagse kunst - Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent at S.M.A.K, Ghent, Belgium
2010. Contemporary Notes, Assar Gallery, Tehran, Iran (Curated by Janes Neal)
2010. Ghosts (Mauricio Anzeri, Ali Banisadr, and Nick Goss) - Luce Gallery, Turin, Italy
2009. Epic Painting, Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University, PA
2009. Raad O Bargh- Kunstraum Deutsche Bank, Salzburg, Austria
2009. Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East, The Saatchi Gallery, London
2009. Raad O Bargh – 17 Artists from Iran, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2008. Weaving The Common Thread, Queens Museum of Art, Queens, New York, USA
2008. Small is Beautiful (2), Flowers Gallery, New York, USA
2008. Post Graduate Fellows Exhibition (Ali Banisadr, David Pettibon, MaryRaap), New York Academy of Art, USA
2007. Utopia Dystopia, Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York, USA
2007. Small is Beautiful, Flowers Gallery, New York, USA
2007. Homecoming, New York Academy of Art, New York, USA
2007. Summer Exhibition, New York Academy of Art, New York, USA
2007. CAA Exhibition, Hunter College/Time Square Gallery, New York, USA
2006. Tribeca Ball, Skylight, New York, USA
2006. Summer Painters, Chateau de Balleroy, France
2005. In Exile, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, USA
Bibliography:
2012. Nicola Trezzi, Ali Banisadr, Flash Art International Magazine (July-September 2012)
2012. Rebecca Ann Proctor, “Historical Relayerings”, Canvas (May 2012)
2012. Pamela A Lewis, A defiant Beauty: Contemporary Iranian Art from the permanent collection at the Met”, Galo Magazine (March 2012)
2012. Jonathan Beer, “Conversation with the Unnamed: Ali Banisadr”, Art-Rated (January 2012)
2012. Cover of Flash Art International Magazine (July-September 2012)
2012. Nicola Trezzi, “Ali Banisadr”, Flash Art International Magazine (July-September 2012)
2012. Jane Neal, “What Lies Beneath”, Flash Art International Magazine (July-September 2012)
2012. Shirine Saad, “Impulse to Paint”, Aishti Magazine (April/May 2012)
2011. “Top 100 Artists” (Ranked #1), Flash Art International Magazine (November 2011)
2011. Margherita Artoni, “Visions”, Flash Art International Magazine (November 2011)
2011. Marco Tagliafierro, “East Ex East”, Artforum (October 2011)
2011. Damiano Gulli, “East Ex East”, Flash Art Magazine, Italy (October 2011)
2011. Christopher French, “Ali Banisadr”, ARTnews (September 2011)
2011. Media Farzin, “Profile: Clamour and Colour Ali Banisadr”, Canvas Magazine (September 2011)
2011. Amanda Church, “Ali Banisadr”, Art in America (June 29, 2011)
2011. Vaziri, Katayoun. "Interview: Ali Banisadr : It Happened and It Never Did", BBC Persia (TV), Tamasha, (May, 5. 2011)
2011. Olivia Sand, “Profile: Ali Banisadr”, Asian Art Newspaper (February 2011)
2011. Augustin Besnier, “Ali Banisadr Evidence”, Paris Art, (January 2011)
2010. Valerie de Maulmin., “Les arcanes poetiques d’ Ali Banisadr”, Connaissance des Arts, Paris (November, 2010)
2010. "Prima candelina coi fantasmi: una mostra astratta e figurativa" il Giornale, Italy (September, 15, 2010)
2010. Chiara Badinella e Fabrizio Affronti, “Ali Banisadr: Un caos controllato in procinto di andare a pezzi” , Flash Art Magazine, Italy 286 (August/September 2010)
2010. Vahid Sharifian, “Interview with Ali Banisadr”, Tandis Magazine, Tehran (May, 2010)
2010. Alexandra Cheney, “All’s Fare in Art”, Wall Street Journal, (May, 9, 2010)
2010. Chiara Badinella e Fabrizio Affronti, “Grandi Masteri, Fonte Perenne”, La Casana, (March, 2010) Italy
2010. Genie Godula, “Ali Banisadr”, France 24 (Video), (February, 12, 2010)
2010. Sophie De Santis, “Ali Banisadr”, Le Figaro, (February, 23,2010)
2010. Catherine Rigollet, “Ali Banisadr”, L’agora Des Arts, (March, 2010)
2010. Nicolas Villodre, “Ali Banisadr”, Paris Art, (March, 2010)
2009. Tom Jeffreys, "Unveiled New Art From The Middle East," Spoonfed, (January, 29, 2009)
2009. Santevecchi Guido, "Arte Shock Per I' Islam Senza Veli," Corriere Della Sera, (January, 31, 2009)
2009. Neal Brown, "Middle Eastern Promise," The First Post, (February,2, 2009)
2009. Philippe Dagen, "Le Moyen-Orient détrône la Chine chez Saatchi, collectionneur avisé," Le Monde, (February, 6, 2009)
2009. “Thunder and Lightning”, Wall Paper (February, 20, 2009)
2009. Alireza Amirhajibi, "Iranian Raad O Bargh in Paris and London," Etemad Melli, (February 2009)
2009. Eric Van Tuijn, “The Middle East Unveiled”, MetropolisM (March 2009)
2009. Philippe Dagen, “Raad O Bargh”, Le Monde (March, 8, 2009)
2009. Fiona Gruber, “New Middle Eastern Art”, ABC Radio National, (March, 15, 2009)
2009. Emily Verla Bovino, “Raad O Bargh”, Frieze Magazine, (April, 2009)
2009. Morad Montazami, Review, ArtPress, (May 2009)
2009. “Donner Und Blitz Aus Dem Iran”, Der Standard, Austria (July, 29, 2009)
2009. Robert Ayers, Modern Painters, (November, 2009)
2008. Karen Rosenberg, "Ali Banisadr," The New York Times, (7 November 2008)
2008. Greg Lindquist, “Ali Banisadr,” The Brooklyn Rail, (December 2008 – January 2009)
2008. Halasz, Piri. "Detour Through Chelsea," (An Appropriate Distance) From the Mayor's Doorstep, No. 81:1 December, 2008
2008. James Wagner, “Ali Banisadr at Leslie Tonkonow”, Jameswagner.com (December, 2008)
Public and private collections:
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna, Austria
The British Museum, London, UK
Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Graphische Sammlung ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Het Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch, Netherlands
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC
K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria
Miniature Museum, The Hague, Netherlands
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston TX (Long term loan)
The Olbricht Foundation, Berlin, Germany
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Francois Pinault Foundation, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy
The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH
Sammlung Essl ,Klosterneuburg, Austria
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut
The Wurth Collection , Künzelsau, Germany
Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels, Belgium