Banisadr’s paintings depict shifting landscapes, where elements blend and collide in a state of perpetual motion. His fascination with history, war and global events, shaped by his childhood experiences during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, infuses his work with themes of conflict and transformation. Drawing inspiration from art history, he references Hieronymus Bosch, Francisco Goya and Persian miniature painting, as well as Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. Through his paintings, Banisadr constructs intricate worlds and visual symphonies that invite viewers to interpret and engage, reflecting both ancient mythologies and contemporary realities.
Major solo exhibitions include Princeton University Art Museum (Princeton, United States, 2024); Museo Bardini and Palazzo Vecchio (Florence, Italy, 2021); Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford, United States, 2020) and Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece, 2020) amongst others.
Ali Banisadr’s works are housed in some of the most prestigious public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States); the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles, United States); the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC, United States); and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, United States). In Europe, his work is held by the Centre Pompidou (Paris, France); the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, United Kingdom); and the Museum der Moderne (Salzburg, Austria).