Iraj Eskandari (born 1956 in Kashmar, Iran) is an Iranian painter, sculptor, designer, art researcher, and university professor. He is regarded as one of the prominent figures of contemporary Iranian visual arts, whose career spans painting, sculpture, mural art, graphic design, academic research, and higher education.

Alongside his artistic practice, Eskandari has played an influential role in cultural administration and art education, serving in senior academic positions at the University of Art and participating in the organization and policymaking of numerous national and international art events. His artistic language has evolved from figurative and narrative painting during the early years of the Iranian Revolution toward symbolic, abstract, and minimalist forms inspired by Islamic art, mysticism, geometry, light, and color. Several of his murals and public sculptures have been installed in Iran and abroad.

Education
B.A. in Painting, Faculty of Decorative Arts, 1978
M.A. in Art Research, University of Art, 1995
Ph.D. in Art Research, University of Art, 2005
Activities and Works
Academic and Administrative Career
Eskandari has taught painting, drawing, and art research at Iranian universities for several decades. His academic leadership positions include:

Dean, Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Art
Head of Karaj Campus and Vice President of the University of Art
Dean, Faculty of Applied and Visual Arts
Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Painting Programs, University of Art
Head of the Painting Department, Alzahra University
Cultural and Professional Activities
Throughout his career, Eskandari has held numerous leadership roles in Iran’s major visual arts events, including:

Secretary of the First International Biennial of Painting of the Islamic World
Secretary of the Second and Third Iranian Contemporary Painting Biennials
Secretary of the Iranian Modern Art Movement Exhibition
Secretary of the African Visual Arts Festival
Member of selection committees and policymaking councils for several Iranian Contemporary Painting Biennials
Professional Memberships
Full Member, Iranian Painters Association
Associate Member, Iranian Academy of Arts
Artistic Practice
Eskandari has worked across a wide range of visual arts disciplines, including:

Solo exhibitions at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Homa Gallery, Nar Gallery, Aria Gallery, and Soureh House
Participation in numerous national and international exhibitions
Design and execution of large-scale murals in Tehran, including Palestine Square and the Azadi Cultural Complex
Design and creation of the marble sculpture The Thinker in Beirut
Designer of the official emblems of Tarbiat Modares University and Yazd University
Illustrator of several children’s books
Artistic Philosophy
Eskandari belongs to the generation of Iranian artists who closely connected visual art with the country’s social and political transformations. He considers the historic Hosseiniyeh Ershad Exhibition a turning point in modern Iranian art, arguing that it brought art beyond gallery spaces and into direct engagement with social justice and public concerns. He also acknowledges Hannibal Alkhas as one of his most influential mentors.

During the early post-revolutionary years, his paintings reflected the tradition of revolutionary and socially committed art. Over time, however, he developed a distinctive visual language characterized by symbolic imagery, fractured lines, geometric compositions, and minimalist spaces. Symbols such as the sun, palm trees, and ghost-like human figures became recurring motifs representing hope, resistance, sacrifice, spirituality, and the human experience of war.

Eskandari believes that the Iran–Iraq War fundamentally redirected the course of Iranian painting, shifting artists away from previous movements such as the Saqqakhaneh School toward visual narratives of collective memory, resistance, and historical experience.

His later Mirror Series exemplifies this evolution by integrating Islamic aesthetics, mirrored surfaces, luminous colors, and geometric structures to express mystical and metaphysical concepts through a contemporary visual language.

As an educator, Eskandari has consistently defended artistic independence, emphasizing that “an artist should receive guidance only from his or her own creativity.”

Achievements and Awards
Retrospective exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (2014)
His four-panel painting Aql-e Sorkh (The Red Intellect) achieved one of the most remarkable sales at the 2022 Tehran Auction, selling for six times its estimated value.
Creator of several permanent public murals and sculptures installed in Iran and Lebanon.
Works held in public museums and private collections.
Recipient of numerous honors and recognitions at national and international visual arts exhibitions and cultural events.