Hassan Massoudy
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1944 (age 81–82)
Hassan Massoudy | |
|---|---|
 Hassan Massoudy in his workshop, 2016 | |
| Born | حسن المسعود الخطاط 1944 (age 81–82) Najaf, Iraq |
| Education | Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris |
| Known for | Painter, calligrapher, illustrator |
| Movement | Hurufiyya movement |
| Website | |
Hassan Massoudy (حسن المسعود الخطاط), born in 1944, is an Iraqi painter and calligrapher, considered by the French writer Michel Tournier as the "greatest living calligrapher",[1] who currently lives in Paris. His work has influenced a generation of calligraffiti artists.
Career
![](#/media/File:National_Museum_of_Ethnology,_Osaka_-_Islamic_calligraphy_"Ecstasy"_(Al-Wajd)_-_Paris_in_France_-_Made_by_Hassan_Massoudy_in_2001.jpg)
In 1969, he fled Iraq for France, and after arriving in Paris, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied figurative painting.[2][4] However, he continued to work on calligraphy and paid for his studies by creating calligraphic headlines for Arabic magazines.[4]
In 1972, he created, with the actor Guy Jacquet and later the musician Fawzi Al Aiedy, Arabesque, a public performance combining music, poetry, and live calligraphy projected on a screen.[3][4]
He collaborated with couturier Azzedine Alaïa for his Autumn-Winter collection 1986/1987. In 1995, he was involved in the design of the stage set for the ballet "Selim" with the dancer Kader Belarbi from the Opera de Paris and the singer Houria Aichi on a choreography from Kalemenis.[5]
In 2005, he met the dancer and choreographer Carolyn Carlson and the musician Kudsi Erguner. Together with three other dancers and three other musicians, they created the show "Metaphore", a harmony of music, dance, and calligraphy.[5]
Influence
Massoudy has become an important influence on a generation of calligraffiti artists. The Tunisian street artist, el Seed, who uses calligraphy in his art, points to the work of Iraqi painter, Hassan Massoudy, as a major source of inspiration, noting that "The work of Hassan Massoudy was totally out of anything I’ve seen from the way he shapes the letters to the colors he uses. He completely revolutionized the art of calligraphy."[7]
