ABOUT AHMAD SOURESRAFIL

THE ARTIST

Ahmad Souresrafil was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1929. He began painting at the age of twelve. At twenty, he entered Ecole Des Beaux Arts, in Paris, studying painting and interior architecture. While professionally an architect, Ahmad Souresrafil never lost his passion for painting. What evolved was a unique style of symbolism and expression.
Ahmad was especially encouraged by his grandfather Mirza Ghasem Khan Souresrafil, one of the founders and the editor of the “Souresrafil Newspaper,” an acclaimed newspapers during the 1906–1911 constitutional revolution in Iran.
He received his early art education from the well-known Iranian artist, Jafar Petgar, where he learned to draw in the old masters style, working with charcoal and oil paint. This apprenticeship gave him the basis for his design and architectural career, as well as his innovative style in later years.
After finishing high school, Ahmad traveled to Europe in 1949 to study art at the famous Ecole Des Beaux–Arts, School of Arts, in Paris, where he mingled with the famous Paris Art scene, notably among them was Jean Paul Sartre. He then attended St. Martins School in London.
A few years after his return to Iran, he started working for the Development & Tourism Agency in Iran. During this period, 1967–1979, he designed hotels and motels throughout Iran but most notably in Shiraz where he designed the Saraye Moshir in the heart of the Shiraz Bazaar. Here he developed a neoclassical Persian style, reviving the old Persian architectural elements, indoor fountains, tile work, and brick work. Reference to these elements can also be seen in his paintings.
Ahmad Souresrafil also designed the “House of Iran” in Los Angeles and London in 1976 and 1978 respectively to promote tourism.
He started painting and developed his style during the blackouts of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq war. He gradually modified the figures, and his paintings continued to evolve when he moved to Paris in 1984. 

While residing in Paris, his work was featured in many distinguished exhibitions, among which was the prestigious Salon Des Indépendants, the annual exhibition of the Société des Artistes Indépendants, at the Grand Palais. Ahmad Souresrafil participated in several solo and group exhibitions in Europe, the United States, and Iran. He moved to the United States in 2010 and spent his final year with his daughter and grandchildren. He passed away in 2011.

THE WORK

Through Ahmad Souresrafil’s paintings we see reflections of a complex and tumultuous period in one of the world’s oldest civilizations. 20th century Iran has experienced two revolutions, one constitutional, one religious, both creating great upheaval. The true strength and beauty of the people and the culture throughout history has created a strong Persian identity that crosses social, economic and political boundaries.
Ahmad Souresrafil’s paintings give us an insight into this Persian identity using folkloric subjects and elements to create pictures of a past Iranian way of life. The painter uses many different symbols in his work to express various themes or reflections but the one constant symbol is the bird. The bird symbolizes freedom, hope and aspiration. Another unique aspect of his style is the representation of the human face as featureless. Ahmad Souresrafil believed that the face of a person displays expressions which are unique to the individual, the age, environment and situation. These feelings are unknown and mysterious and he wished to retain this air of mystery.