TEHRAN – Art critic Javad Mojabi called Iranian expressionist artist Nasser Ovissi the painter of poetry during the opening speech of his one-day exhibit at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) on Saturday.

Ovissi’s paintings are being shown with a selection of foreign artifacts preserved in the treasure trove at the museum.

“The artist has acknowledged in a pure fashion the secret of constant companionship of poetry and painting,” Mojabi said.

“Ovissi has studied law at the university but his heart was full of poetry and reading poetry of the masters gradually awoke the spirit of poetic painting in his works and that is why he can be called the painter of poetry,” he remarked.

“Works by Ovissi have been constantly displayed in different exhibits over the past 60 years. His due attention to Persian miniature painting as a national heritage has helped him connect the traditional atmosphere of Iranian miniature painting with the contemporary era by simplifying the lines and colors,” Mojabi explained.

He next explained that Ovissi’s passionate and healthy attitude towards mankind has filled his works with outstanding beauty.

“He paints his dreams of a simple earth with free people in his paintings. Wherever he has traveled he has taken his homeland with his heart in his brush and palette,” Mojabi said.

In his brief words, Vahid Malek, the Director of Tehran’s Art Center, which is the organizer of Ovissi’s works, also said that the exhibit was set to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the artistic career of Ovissi.

“We are happy that works by Ovissi were put on display alongside works by world artists, although we are aware that he deserves more,” Malek said.

A book containing pictures of over 1000 works by the U.S.-based artist was also unveiled at the ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by a number of officials, artists and actors including Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Ali Moradkhani, Kurosh Shishegaran, Hossein Mahjubi and Reza Kianian.

Works by Ovissi have so far been displayed in over 60 exhibitions in his homeland and other countries. 

In 1977, Ovissi and celebrated Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali held a joint exhibition in Madrid.
 
A number of Ovissi’s works are on display at museums in Iran and Italy, France, England, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, India, Sweden, Canada, Spain and the United States. 

He is also the author of over 15 books written in Persian, English, Italian and Spanish. 

Ovissi has been listed in the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, an extensive French publication of bibliographical information on painters, sculptors, designers and engravers created primarily for art museums, auction houses, historians and dealers.

Photo: Art critic Javad Mojabi (L) and painter Hossein Mahjubi (R) visit an exhibition of paintings by Nasser Ovissi at the TMCA on June 17, 2017. (Honaronline/Alireza Farahani)

RM/YAW