Born
in the city of Shiraz, Iran in 1951, Hessam Abrishami was the son of
middle-class parents; one of eight brothers and sisters. He attended
public schools in his home city of Shiraz until his graduation from
high school, after which he served in his country's military service
for two years.
It was not until he was 15 years of age that, through
the inspiration and encouragement of a high school teacher who was
himself an artist, Hessam discovered both his love of art and his
talent for painting. He soon became obsessed with painting.
At 17, Hessam received his first award for painting.
A year later he won top honors in painting in a national student
competition in Iran. At 19, he achieved first-place honors in the
"Iranian New Artists Competition." Many other national and
international honors followed.
After his military service, Hessam decided to go to
Italy-"the center of art in Europe"-to study. He completed a
Master's Degree in Fine Arts at the Accademi De Belle Arti "Pietro
Vanucci" in Perugia. Although he pursued his love of portraiture by
concentrating on realistic painting and special studies in anatomy,
he also developed his talent further by studying other
styles-impressionism, surrealism, cubism, and modernism.
