Behjat Sadr is one of the pioneers of abstract painting in Iran.
In 1948, she entered the Faculty of Fine Arts in University of Tehran, and in 1954, she graduated from this faculty with the first rank. In 1956, she went to Italy with a scholarship in art. He studied at the Roberto Milli Academy and then the Naples Academy of Fine Arts. She participated in the Venice Biennale the following year. She held her first solo exhibition in 1957 at the Pinco Gallery in Rome. During her education in Italy, she participated in several group exhibitions.
She returned to Iran in 1959 and from the following year began teaching at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran, and also took over the management of the faculty's visual department in a short period of time. She participated in the third Tehran Biennial and won the first prize. She also received the UNESCO Prize in the "Competition against Illiteracy" art competition in 1967. In 1980, she went to France and due to an illness, she remained there for treatment. In 2004, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art exhibited her works from various periods of her career in the title of "Pioneers of Modern Iranian Art". Sadr died in France.
For about five decades, her paintings included a highlighted collection of cold and matte oil paints, on different backgrounds with the combination of different materials such as wood and aluminum, and photo-painting collages. She pursued her path of artistic experiences by "action painting" style inspired from the "R Informal '' style in Europe, in emotional behaviors with canvas and color.
She created artworks with harmonious compositions and flexible lines, using the spatula painting technique and the canvas on the ground. The widespread variety of Sadr's artworks shows her seeking spirit, regardless of usual formats. Her research and struggle for various expressions has led her to the creation of various art works.
“Behjat Sadr's painting method is based on spraying and collecting paint, so that most of the work is formed in the stage of removing paint, not in the stage of pouring,” Alireza Sami-Azar writes about her. "For this purpose, first she poured the paint directly on the canvas or aluminum sheet and then spread it with a spatula or similar device on the surface of the painting so that the desired abstract shape gradually appeared. The movement of the hand in this process is naturally fast and very skillful, so that before the paint dries, it shows the shapes and textures on the surface of the painting in the artist's interpretation, in a negative way. The gentle and skillful use of the spatula allowed her to create wide lines and wavy surfaces, thus creating an abstract lyrical painting which is completely modern, based on repetitive ranges.”