Iran Darroudi is a prominent Iranian painter, director, writer, art critic and university professor. According to some critics, Droodi was a follower of surrealism school of thought. Kafur magazine, French edition, found the theme of her artworks similar to Salvador Dali and Max Ernst. She was invited to lecture in the History of Art as an honorary professor in Sharif University of Iran in 1970. She is one of the pioneers of contemporary Iranian painting and one of the few well-known figures in the world art community in about six decades ago.

She was born on September 2nd 1936 in a noble family in Neyshabour. Her paternal family were well-known merchants in the north-eastern province, while her maternal family were caucasian merchants,who travelled to Iran following the Soviet unioin revolution.

She traveled to Europe with her family in her childhood. When the Second World War began, her family were living in Hamburg and a year later, they returned to Iran through Poland and lived in Mashhad for a while and then moved to Tehran.

Due to her interest in painting, Droodi went to drawing and painting classes at school. In 1954, she started painting course at Bouzar College in Paris and from 1954 to 1958 studied art in various schools and colleges such as: School of Fine Arts of Paris (Bozar), the Louvre School of Paris, the Royal College of Brussels (Vitrai), Institute of R.C.I. New York (production and directing of television programs). After her studies, she returned to Iran and in May 1960 her works were exhibited in Culture Hall of Tehran.

Iran Droodi exhibited her works in more than 63 solo and 250 group exhibitions in Iran and around the world. She also turned to writing by writing a book tittled “In The Distance Between Two Points”

Individual Exhibitions

1958    Miami Beach Art Centre, USA

1958    Columbia University, New York

1959     Royal Hilton Hotel, Tehran

1959     Farhang Hall, Tehran

1961    Iran-America association, Tehran

1961   Farhang Hall, Tehran

1963   Museum of Exelles, Brussels

1964    Galeria Santa Maria Pizza, Milan

1964    Borghèse Gallery, Tehran

1965    Iran-America Society, Tehran

1969    Negar Gallery, Tehran

1970    Royal Hilton Hotel, Tehran

1970    Sharif University, Tehran

1972    Goethe Institute, Tehran

1973    Space Gallery 2000, New York

1973    Goethe Institute : Shiraz, Abadan, Mashhad, Isfahan

1973    Drouant Gallery, Paris

1973    Atrium Artis Gallery, Geneva

1974    21 Gallery, Zurich

1974    National Iranian Oil Company, Abadan

1974    Ferdowsi University, Mashhad

1975    Darroudi Gallery, Tehran

1975    Drouant Gallery, Tokyo

1975    La Galleria Gallery, Mexico

1976    Museum of Bellas Artes, Mexico

1976    Heritage Gallery, Toronto

1976    Ferdowsi University, Mashhad

1976    Isfahan University, Isfahan

1976    National Iranian Oil Company, Abadan

1976    Iranian National Television, Shiraz

1976    Alexander Gallery, Tehran

1978    Prime Minister’s Club, Tehran

1978    Intercontinental Hotel, Geneva

1982    Motte Gallery, Geneva

1987    Bailleul Gallery, Paris

1988    Salon Roland Garros, Palais de Chaillot, Paris

1988    Studio Q, New Jersey

1988    Art Decor Gallery, Washington D.C.

1989    First Credit bank, Los Angeles

1991    A.M.O.R.C. Cultural Center, Paris

1991    Iran Cultural Center, Dusseldorf, Germany   

1992    Azadi Museum, Tehran

1993    Sepehri Gallery, Tehran

1994    Art 54 Gallery, New York

1994    United Nations, New York

1995    Barg Gallery, Tehran

1999    Hourian Gallery, San Francisco

1999    Virginia Tech University, Virginia

1999    U.C.L.A. University, Los Angeles

2002    Artists’ House, Tehran

2002    Museum Of Modern Art, Isfahan

2003    Pegah Gallery, Kerman

2008    Museum of Modern Art, Tehran

2008    Shirin Gallery, Tehran

2013    Artists’ House, Tehran

2013    Museum Of Modern Art, Tehran,  and book launch of “In The Distance Between Two Points” 15th edition with an exhibition of her works dedicated to museum.

Group exhibitions

Droodi participated in many group exhibitions in Iran and internationally,  the most recent of which is the exhibition of merited artists held in November 2018 at Niavaran cultural center and during the exhibition, Droodi’s works were displayed alongside the works of prominent artists such as Hossein Mahjoubi, Taha Behbahani, Hossein Nouri, Ali Faramarzi and Nasser Houshmand Vaziri.

Iran Droudi was infected with corona virus on September 2nd 2021, but she recovered. She passed away on the morning of October 29th 2021 at the age of 85 in the ICU of Tehran Dey Hospital after a period of illness. She is buried in the artists’ section of Behesht Zahra cemetery.