Raoof Haghighi
About
Raoof Haghighi is an Iranian-born British artist renowned for blending classical techniques with surreal and contemporary themes in his oil paintings and detailed pencil drawings. Born into an artistic family in Shiraz, Iran, where his father was a respected ceramicist and painter in traditional Persian art, Haghighi began painting at age 3 and is entirely self-taught. He started teaching art at age 18, won early prizes in Iranian student art festivals during high school, and pursued art professionally after recognizing his passion through these successes. Relocating internationally, he has built a career exploring universal human themes like identity, fear, conflict, societal norms, love, longing, and truth, often merging Persian heritage with modern surrealism and hyperrealism.
Classical Surrealism blending realism, hyperrealism, and symbolic Persian influences
Selected Exhibitions
- BP Portrait Award – National Portrait Gallery, London (2011, 2015, 2017)
- Threadneedle Prize (2012, 2013, 2014)
- Royal Society of British Artists (2014–2016)
- Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year – London Heat Winner (2014)
- Osborne Studio Gallery – London (2012)
- Artists & Illustrators Exhibitions – Mall Galleries, London (2014)
- Royal College of Art Show – London (2014)
Awards
- Artists & Illustrators Magazine – Artist of the Year Winner (2011); Runner-up (2013)
- Honorary MA in Art – Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, Iran (2010)
- Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year – London Heat Winner (2014)
- Gold Memorial Bowl award for best miniature work – Royal Society of Miniature Painters (2017)
- Mundy Sovereign Portrait Award – Royal Society of Miniature Painters (2019)
- Multiple national awards in Iran’s Student Art Festivals (1992–1994)