Fatmir Haxhiu comes from a patriotic middle-class family from the city of Përmet. In 1930, his family settled in the city of Tirana, where he spent his whole life until his last days on March 10, 2001. He attended elementary school in the “Red School”, one of the schools known for its patriotic teachers like Sotir Milto Zgura, Sali Morina who were the first to encourage Fatmir to draw, seeing his desire to become a painter. 
In November 1945, Fatmir Haxhiu continued his military studies in Belgrade (Yugoslavia) at the “VOJNA UCISHTE” school, where for 6 months he received general military knowledge and after the division of branches he continued his studies in Zagreb at the “OFICIRSKA SKOLA I VOJNO” artillery school UCILISTE ZEMALJSKE ARTILLERY”.
Zagreb gave the young officer, among other things, the tastes of aesthetic, educational work for contemporary beauty. Fatmiri got acquainted not only with the harmony of the city’s architecture, but also its diverse culture, music, sports, visual arts. He completed his studies successfully, and in 1948 he returned to his homeland full of energy, culture and dreams, never abandoning his desire and passion for painting.

It was in 1944, when Fatmir Haxhiu met  Andrea Mano, Llazar Nikolla, Kel Kodheli, Sadik Kaceli (today, the most prominent artists of Albanian sculpture and painting). These experienced artists together with the painter Nexhmedin Zajmi, the sculptor Odise Paskali, the painter Foto Stamo seing the seriousness, passion, talent of Fatmir Haxhiu, they helped him a lot in the theoretical preparation as they saw in him a broad and sensitive soul, a painter who would later rank with the dignity among other painters.
From the mid-50s, Fatmir Haxhiu became the promoter and creator of the first military studio in Albania, where he was followed by other young painters and sculptors who had just graduated from the Artistic High School of Tirana.
In 1959, for the first time, he participated in the national exhibition of painting, where he was awarded the second prize, the first award that gave him strength and encouraged him further. For years, the painter was active with drawings and graphics in the magazine “10th July”. There are many stories from the war that he has illustrated, adding dramatic emotion to them, as in the newspaper “The fighter”, in other press organs, of the publishing house “Naim Frashëri”.
In 1959, he continued his studies at the High Institute of Arts. The theme of war and the heroic resistance of the Albanian people over the centuries would become the main motif of the artist’s entire creativity.
In four decades of tireless work in the field of painting, he has created a large number of monumental works. Today his works can be found everywhere in the country and abroad. They have been exhibited or are the property of the National Art Gallery, the National Historical Museum, the Historical Museum of the city of Tropoja, Burrel, Vlora, Përmeti, as well as in other social-cultural institutions. Also, the scope of works abroad is wide and admirable. The works are in private collections of art lovers in Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Greece, Japan, China, Russia, America, Switzerland, Hungary, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Australia, etc.
In national competitions from 1966 to 1990, he won three first prizes, two second prizes and one third prize. He is the laureate of the Republic Award of the first degree with the work “Skroskë 1944”, as well as of the Republic Award of the third degree for the work “With a sword in his hand”. Many works of his creativity have been popularized through publications in various organs of press as in the newspapers “Drita”, “Zëri popullit”, “Puna”, “Bashkimi”, “Zëri i rinija”, “Luftëtari”, in the magazines “Albania”, “Nëntori”, “Ylli”, “Shqiptarja e Re” , “July 10”, “In the service of the people”, “Party way”, in military and political magazines, on book covers, albums, school textbooks, postcards,  exhibition catalogs, on Albanian and foreign philatelic stamps , etc.
For all this long and successful artistic activity, Fatmir Haxhiu has been honored with the high titles “Merited Painter” and “Great Master of Work”.

/Klara Ruci/