Biography

Ghasem Hajizadeh (Persian: قاسم حاجی‌زاده; born April 1, 1947; Lahijan, Iran) is an Iranian–French painter and a pioneering Pop art figure in contemporary Iranian art. Forced into exile after the 1979 revolution, he currently lives in Paris. Hajizadeh was born in 1947 in Lahijan, north of Iran. He received his diploma in arts from Tehran High School of Fine Arts in 1967 and soon after started his art career. During his early years of work, Hajizadeh’s works were mostly abstract. However, after contacts and friendship with Ardeshir Mohasses, he changed his style and concentrated on figurative art. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Mohasses encouraged him to pursue pop art movement, which was thriving in the United States. In 1972, Hajizadeh participated in the first art exhibition, held by Iran–the America Society.