Fereydoun Ave

Fereydoun Ave (b. 1945, Tehran) is an influential figure in Iranian contemporary art. He received his bachelors in Applied Arts for Theatre from Arizona State University in 1964, and studied Film at New York University in 1969. On returning to Iran in 1970 he worked as a graphic designer, set and costume designer and was the art director for the Zand Gallery in 1977. After the 1979 revolution, he founded 13 Vanak Street, the first alternative art space in Tehran, which became an influential space for emerging artists. Over the past five decades, he has taken on many different roles as an artist, designer, art director, collector, curator, gallerist, and art patron.

He is best known for his depictions of the macho-mystic Iranian hero Rostam, which explore masculinity and virtue in Iranian culture. His style varies from collages that combine photographs and drawn symbols, to abstract expressionism. He was influenced by his friend and mentor Cy Twombly, with whom he shared a studio at several points. This inspiration is evident in his style of mark-making in his abstract works.

Ave's works are housed in museums worldwide, including the British Museum, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.