HAYDAR HATEMI

Haydar Hatemi was born in Alemdar, a village in Azerbaijani Iran, in 1945.

He left his village at the age of fifteen in order to attend the Tabriz School of Art.

Upon graduating, he went to Tehran where he studied with the two miniaturists, Mukimi (1893-1968) and Ferschian

In Addition to his work as a miniaturist, Mr. Hatemi became accomplished in painting, calligraphy and sculpture. He was employed at the Shahnas Pahlevi Academy as a professor of sculpture. He supervised several renovation projects in the palace of the late shah and worked on various Islamic monuments throughout Iran. In 1971, his designs won first prize in the gold coin competition held in commemoration of the 2500th anniversary of Iran. After the revolution, Mr. Hatemi moved his family to Istanbul. Today he lives and works in U.S.A

Mr. Hatemi's miniatures are in the classical Persian tradition of the sixteen century Herat school and are exceptional in their breathtaking attention to detail. Each individual hair of a pasha's beard may be distinguished. Mr. Hatemi paints with brushes made of cat hair-often using just a single hair and a magnifying glass. Although deeply committed to the miniature tradition Mr. Hatemi's artistic versatility is evident in his more three-dimensional, tonal works. In these, the perfectionism of a true miniaturist is masterfully combined with a realist's appreciation of colour.