Ghasem Hajizadeh (Iranian, b. 1947)

Painted in 1970, Yesterday-Today is an enigmatic work that is representative of the artist's signature style. One of the most sought after artists within Tehran's high society since the late 1960s and early 1970s, Hajizadeh is known for his compositions that bring together his memories of the past with his inspirations from the contemporary popular culture.
Throughout his career, Hajizadeh portrayed a great number of famous and popular characters - from Qajar princesses to Princess Stéphanie de Monaco, from Mossadegh to the Iranian beloved female poet Forough Farrokhzad or the popular singer and performer Mahvash. In the present work, the figures are not recognisable icons, but they are metaphors for the man-female relationships throughout history. Inspired by Pop CD covers, kitsch advertisements and urban illustrations, Hajizadeh's works unveil his playfulness and sense of irony while they reveal his nostalgic remembrance of the past.