TEHRAN – The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art will honor Iranian artist Ali-Akbar Sadeqi next week by organizing a retrospective of his inspiring artworks in painting, illustration, animation and sculpture.

The retrospective exhibition, which will open on January 28, has been organized to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Sadeqi and the curators Feresheh Musavi and Ali Bakhtiari attended a press conference at the TMCA on Tuesday to speak about the event.

“I never wanted to repeat myself as an artist. I was always very enthusiastic and bursting with ideas since I seriously began to paint at the age of 15,” Sadeqi said.

“Every now and then I have returned with new and fresh works. I began a different style of stained glass art that I invented myself, then I put it aside and followed creating commercial works and continued with book illustrations.

“I was filled with excitement in those years. Later on, I got an offer from the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) to illustrate a book and it was then that the collaboration with the institute began.

“When the institute asked me to make an animated movie, I was surprised, because I had no idea about animation and cinema but welcomed the idea, agreed and made ‘Seven Cities’ in 1971. It took one year. I next made ‘Flower Storm’ and on the whole, I made six animated films,” he explained.

Establishing Sabz Gallery was the next step, a venue for the young artists, the artist said.

Sadeqi’s sons, Afshin, Arash and Ashkan, have worked with him in some of his art projects. He said that his studio is always open to young artists and added, “I love the youth; they always give me good energy.”

Sadeqi is a graduate of art from the University of Tehran. His style of painting is a kind of Iranian surrealism, based on traditional forms and compositions in paintings.

“I am 80 years old now and get up every morning with the love to commence my works. I work 7 hours a day now, of course I used to work 12 to 14 hours when I was younger,” he said.

The master also admitted that he is not good at teaching art to others.

“Teaching is not my career. Several times I practiced teaching but was not successful. However, I believe that students can learn the basics and industry of art through books. Creativity of art cannot be taught and must be found hidden within an individual,” he asserted.

He said that his love towards the youth have urged him to publish several books and collaborate with some students on their university theses.

The exhibition, which will run until April 14, will bring together 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and illustrations done by the artist.

The exhibition will also display a collection of 300 red pieces of fabric bearing verses of poems from Sadeqi’s collection, “Confused”, curator Musavi said and added that the verses were inscribed by the master.

Six animated movies by Sadeqi will be screened during the exhibit.