Ali Adjalli is the founder of the Gol Gasht school of calligraphy. Characterised by a dense and interlocking play of the Arabic script, Adjalli’s calligraphy has popularised a distinctive style now regularly seen amongst numerous Arab and Iranian calligraphers.

Ali Adjalli was born in Mianeh, Iran, on February 8, 1939. He completed his schooling in Mianeh and at Tehran’s Lycée Français, and followed that with a degree in Interior Architecture from Tehran’s College of Design. Returning to his childhood love of painting, Adjalli then studied calligraphy and calligraphic painting under the direction, at various times, of every Iranian calligraphy master. By 1964 Adjalli had been publicly recognised as the progenitor of an important style of calligraphy.

Apart from his work as an artist and as a noted poet - writing under the pen name of Vassegh - Adjalli began a career as an educator in 1974, becoming a university lecturer on fine arts, and then the Master of Calligraphy at numerous institutions including the pre-eminent Calligraphy Academy of Iran.

While Adjalli has exhibited his works at various institutions and galleries, including solo exhibitions at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and at Niavaran Palace Institute, Adjalli’s private nature and fierce protection of his art have prevented the wide dissemination of his works, leaving his works mostly within the sole reach of prominent public and private collections.

Ali Adjalli is a noted master and has garnered a revered place in history as the founder of an important school of calligraphy.