Ali Akbar Sanati, painter, sculptor

Sanati grew up in an orphanage from the age of eight due to the death of his father from the plague and his mother’s poverty. Haj Ali Akbar Sanati Zadeh, the founder of the orphanage, would give his name to the orphans so they could obtain identification documents. He became a supporter of young Ali Akbar, playing a significant role in his life.

In the orphanage, Ali Akbar Sanati was introduced to the painting “Mirror Hall” by Kamal-ol-Molk through an almanac, which had a profound impact on him. This painting motivated him to continue his education in the School of Fine Arts in Tehran with Haj Ali Akbar’s support. By the time he arrived in Tehran, Kamal-ol-Molk had already moved to Nishapur.

The second significant artistic event in his life occurred when he met Master Abolhassan Khan Sadighi and saw his sculpture “Haj Moqbel” or “The Blind Ney Player” at the school. This encounter had such an impact on Sanati that it inspired him to pursue sculpture alongside painting. He later created a sculpture in honor of his teacher to commemorate this moment of his introduction to the world of sculpture.

Abolhassan Sadighi is known for creating significant sculptures in Iranian history, including those of Ferdowsi, Amir Kabir, Khayyam, Nader Shah, Saadi, Avicenna, and Ya’qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar. Sanati and Sadighi also collaborated with Arzhang Rahimzadeh to create the bas-relief “Angel of Justice” at the entrance of the Justice Palace in Tehran.

Some Iranian artists are renowned for their self-portraits. From a young age, Sanati created numerous self-portraits, which are precise and expressive. The tradition of self-portraiture among students of the School of Fine Arts originates from Kamal-ol-Molk. Kamal-ol-Molk and Esmail Ashtiani’s paintings are among the most familiar self-portraits of the past century.

In 1977, the orphanage where Sanati grew up was transformed into the Sanati Contemporary Arts Museum in Kerman. Sanati is the only Iranian artist to have had four permanent exhibitions of his works. In 1945, he held an exhibition at the orphanage of Haj Ali Akbar’s son, Abdolhossein Sanati Zadeh, located opposite the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. The following year, in 1946, he held an exhibition in Toopkhaneh Square. Due to the overwhelming public interest, this exhibition became the Sanati Museum of permanent works. Seven years later, on the day of the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, rioters attacked the museum and destroyed his works. However, Sanati did not give up and continued to create. In 1956, he decided to establish another permanent exhibition, this time at College Crossroad. He closed this exhibition in 1958 and moved it to the southern part of Tehran. On Abdolhossein Khan’s suggestion, he set up another permanent exhibition in Rah Ahan Square in 1958, which remained until 1973.

For the second time, his sculptures did not escape public unrest, and his museum in Toopkhaneh Square was completely destroyed during the 1979 demonstrations. Despite the destruction of his works, Sanati continued his artistic endeavors with renewed determination at the age of 63, creating new pieces and restoring damaged ones. Today, the Sanati Museum in Imam Khomeini Square, Tehran, and the Sanati Contemporary Arts Museum in Kerman house his works.

Due to the poverty he experienced in his childhood, Sanati always tried to be compassionate, kind, and generous. In his sculptures, he expressed the suffering of the poor and distressed, revealing the inner essence of his subjects with expressive and emotive works. In contrast, his watercolor paintings are delicate, lively, cheerful, and vibrant, reflecting this tenderness in the landscapes and sensitive portraits he created.

A well-dressed, meticulous man with a heart full of love for his country, Sanati passed away on April 2, 2006, in Tehran, leaving behind thousands of paintings, drawings, and sculptures for future generations.