Nasser Ovissi

Nasser Ovissi (b. 1934, Tehran) is an Iranian-American painter, printmaker, and ceramicist associated with the Saqqakhaneh movement and regarded as a pioneer of Iranian modern art. He studied law and political science at the University of Tehran before pursuing art studies in Rome, and held his first exhibition in Tehran in 1956. Since relocating to the United States after 1979, he has lived in Reston, Virginia, and is represented by Gallery Ovissi; his work is held in the North Carolina Museum of Art. Ovissi is known for stylized depictions of women and horses rendered in flat, bold color.