Ardeshir Mohassess was born in Iran in 1938 and began drawing early in his childhood. In the 1960s, after receiving a degree in political science from Tehran University, he worked as an illustrator for Iranian journals and newspapers. Soon after, his drawings began to appear in major international newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times. In 1976, Mohassess left Iran for what he planned as a temporary stay in the United States. However, with the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution in 1979—which brought an end to the reign of the Pahlavi Shahs and instated a theocracy led by Ayatollah Khomeini—Mohassess chose to remain in New York, where he lives today.

This is the first retrospective of Mohassess's work to be presented in the United States. The drawings on display were created between 1976 and 2000 and reveal his focus on the conflicts between the oppressor and the oppressed both before and after the Revolution of 1979. Mohassess's work is informed not only by the complexities of modern history and politics, but also by traditional Persian arts and culture. Throughout his career, Mohassess has remained a resolute social critic, focusing on the cruelty, humor, and vulnerability of human nature.

Acclaimed artists Shirin Neshat and Nicky Nodjoumi are guest curators of the exhibition. Both Neshat and Nodjoumi have exhibited their work internationally and find inspiration in the life and art of Ardeshir Mohassess.

Ardeshir Mohassess died on October 9, 2008 in New York City. He was 70. Read obituary here.

1938
Born on September 9 in Rasht, Gilan Province, Iran

1941
Begins to draw at the age of three

1951
First cartoon published in the satirical Iranian journal Towfiq

1958
Included in the first Tehran Biennial, organized by Iran's Ministry of Culture, and enjoys continuous representation until the fourth Biennial in 1964

1962
Graduates from Tehran University with a degree in political science and law

1963
Begins to supply the Kayhan, the daily Tehran-based Iranian newspaper, and other local papers with cartoons and satirical drawings

1967
Solo exhibition at Qandriz Gallery, Tehran

1969
Solo exhibition at Sayhoun Gallery, Tehran

1971
Participates in a group exhibition at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

1973
First illustration published in the The New York Times; illustrates for the French periodical Jeune Afrique from June through November; solo exhibition at the Iran-America Society, Tehran

1974
Solo exhibition at Columbia University, New York; drawings from the The New York Times shown in a group exhibition at Musée du Louvre, Paris

1976
Solo exhibition at Darisi Gallery, Shiraz; Mohassess leaves Iran for New York City

1976–1978
Creates the Life in Iran series 

1980
Begins to frequently illustrate articles for the The New York Times; included in the group exhibition, Politics and Arts: Ten Years of Graphic Commentary, 1970–1980 at the American Institute for Graphic Arts, New York

1986
Solo exhibition at Persian Arts Foundation, Los Angeles; included in the International Biennial of Illustrations, Tokyo

2006
Solo exhibition at Homa Art Gallery, Tehran after a 30-year absence from his homeland

2007
Second solo exhibition at Homa Art Gallery in May

2008
Third solo exhibition at Homa Art Gallery opens in May

This exhibition is made possible with major support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and Sheila and Hassan Nemazee.

Additional support has been provided by Fereydoun Ave, Tamilla Ghodsi and Bijan Ayromloo, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller, Yung Hee Kim, Nahid Mahdavi, Maryam Massoudi, Nahid Taghinia-Milani, Amita and Purnendu Chatterjee, Roya and Massoud Heidari, Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, and the Soudavar Memorial Foundation.