Nasrollah Afjehei (Iranian, b. 1933)

Christie’s is excited to present the largest work to come to auction by Iranian artist and master calligrapher Nasrollah Afjehei. In his grandiose paintings, he engages with a visual language influenced primarily by meticulous structural calculation as well as the construction of calligraphic forms, which has long been a staple of Islamic art. Afjehei was a pioneering member of the Iranian neo-calligraphists group that played a major role in the trend of the Naqqashi-khatt, which sought to extend the Arabic letter from its essence and transform it into beautifully assembled compositions. The presented diptych, magnificent in scale, profoundly employs Afjehei’s talents into a twisting surge of calligraphic contraction. Absorbing the viewer within an extraordinary journey, the work is a wonderful display of Afjehei’s distinctive oeuvre.

Being interested in calligraphy from a very young age, Afjehei practiced under the tutelage of many of the great Iranian calligraphers such as Mir Khani, Kimia Qalam, and Kaveh. After completing the very renowned Society of Iranian Calligraphers course in 1963-1964, the artist started working on the combination of Naqqashi painting and Khatt script.