Tahir Salahov was born on November 29, 1928, in Baku. In 1950, he graduated from the Baku Art School named after Azim Azimzadeh. Later, he continued his education at the Leningrad Higher School of Art and Industry. In the years 1951-1957, he studied at the Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov.

T. Salahov wrote his first paintings "Wave" (Dalğa) and "Pier" (Estakada) in 1955 and with these works participated in all-union, foreign and republican exhibitions.

In 1957, he graduated from the Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov majoring in painting. He participated in the All-Union exhibition devoted to the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution with the diploma work "The Shift is Over". It portrays workers walking along a pier when the shift is changing. In the same year, Tahir Salahov was accepted as a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and participated in the International Exhibition of Works of Young Artists held in Moscow as part of the VI World Festival of Youth and Students.  
  
In 1958, he painted the works "Morning Train", "Reservoir Park", and "Oilman" in 1959. In the same year, he participated in the International Exhibition of Fine Art Works of socialist countries held in Moscow.

In 1960, the artist painted the works "Repairmen", "Portrait of Composer Gara Garayev", "Over the Caspian Sea". He held the position of executive secretary of the Artists’ Union of Azerbaijan and then served as an associate professor. In 1963, Tahir Salahov was elected a member of the Soviet Committee for the Defense of Peace and the Presidium of the Artists’ Union of the USSR, and at the same time was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR.  In 1963-1974, he served as a professor at the Azerbaijan State Theater Institute. In 1966, T. Salahov was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. In 1966-1970, he was elected deputy of the 7th convocation, and in 1970-1974, the 8th convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In 1973, he was elected the first secretary of the Board of Directors of the Union of Artists of the USSR at the IV Congress of Artists of the USSR. T. Salahov was conferred the academic rank of Professor and was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR. In 1973, Tahir Salahov was elected First Secretary of the Union of Artists of the USSR, a post he was to hold for nearly 20 years (1973-92). He participated in the "Realist" International Exhibition held in Helsinki in 1978 and put on a solo exhibition of his works in Moscow in the same year.

From 1979 to 1997, he was a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts of the USSR Academy of Arts. In 1980 he was elected a deputy of the 10th convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, and a solo exhibition of his works was staged in Prague (Czech Republic) in the same year.

In 1983, at the 6th Congress of Artists of the USSR, he was elected First Secretary of the Board of the Union of Artists of the USSR, an honorary member of the Austrian Union of Artists, and the vice-president and honorary president of the International Association of Plastic Arts (AIPA) within UNESCO. In 1984, he was elected a deputy of the 11th convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. In the same year, he participated in the All-Union "Earth and People" exhibition and created "Portrait of Dan" in expressionism style. From 1984 to 1992, Tahir Salahov headed the Department of Painting and Composition at the Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov. In 1986, he painted "Morning in the Caspian Sea". In 1987, he was elected a corresponding member of the French Academy of Fine Arts. 
  
In 1992, he was elected the vice president of the International Federation of Artists. An honorary title People's Artist of the Russian Federation was conferred on him in 1996. From 1996 to 2000, he served as the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Education, Health and Culture, and as the Chairman of the Political Advisory Council of the Commission for Relations with Creative Unions under the President of the Russian Federation. In 1997, he was elected the vice president of the Russian Academy of Arts. T. Salahov was a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid (Spain, 1988), an academician of the International Eco Energy Academy of Azerbaijan, and a full member of the Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic (1998). 
    
The works of the artist, who was a corresponding member of the art academies of Russia and many CIS countries, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and the French Academy of Fine Arts have been awarded high titles and exhibited not only in Azerbaijan, but also in various museums and galleries of the world. The folk artist who attaches great importance to education, experience, and self-cultivation, and sees the secret of art in constant learning, holds a special place in the art of Azerbaijan. The prominent artist is compared with the most famous painters in the world.  

As the founder of the direction of severe realism, the artist, turned to dark colors to express the heavy aspects of life in the subjects he depicted in his works, concerning the invisible or less visible aspects of life.
  
In 2011, he was elected a full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and an honorary member of the Union of Artists of Germany. A year later, in 2012, he was awarded the title of laureate of the A. A. Plastov International Prize in Fine Arts, held in Ulyanovsk, in the nomination "International Names".    

In 2012, a house museum of the artist was opened on Ilyas Efendiyev Street of the Icherisheher Historical-Architectural Reserve.  The house museum includes Tahir Salahov's collection of paintings which he donated to Azerbaijan.

Tahir Salahov is one of the great painters of the modern era. He has lived a long and still very productive life. Tahir Salahov died on May 20, 2021, in Berlin (Germany) at the age of 92. He was buried in the first Alley of Honour in Baku.

Recommended literature:

1. Tahir Salahov : həyat və yaradıcılığı / rus dilindən tərc. S. Məmmədzadə ; red. Z. T.Salahova ; mətnin müəl. V. S. Manin. - Bakı : İndigo, 2008. - 470 s.
2. Nəcəfov, Mürsəl Nəcəfqulu oğlu.Tahir Salahov /M. Nəcəfov. - Bakı: Yazıçı, 1980. - 61 s.
3. Таир Салахов жизнь и творчество /автор текста. В. С. Манин. - Баку: 2008. - 469 с.
4. Таир Салахов : на рубеже веков = Tahir Salahov : At the Turn of the Centuries / Фонд Гейдара Алиева. - Баку : Şərq-Qərb, 2013. - 112 с.
5. Наджафов, Мурсал Наджаф Кули оглы. Таир Салахов /М. Наджафов ; [ред. У. Садыхова ; худож. А. Мамедов]. - Баку: Язычы, 1981. - 56 с.