TEHRAN – Veteran Iranian graphic designer and painter Kamran Katowzian passed away on Saturday at 83 in Tehran.
One of the main representatives of Iran’s abstract art flow, he died at his home after enduring a long-term illness. The artist’s body will be buried on Tuesday in the artist’s plot at Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery, Mehr reported.
Born in Tehran, he showed a special interest in painting since his childhood. After graduating from high school, he left Iran, left the United States to follow his studies, and began studying at Wyndham University in Vermont, on the advice of one of his professors. In 1961 he graduated in the field of painting and sculpture.
While studying and living in New York, he was intrigued by the abstract expressionist movement and the works of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Mark Toby. However, his favourite artist was Franz Klein. Klein’s influence is clearly visible at various times in Katowzian’s career.
Katouzian was also active in the graphics and advertising field. Perhaps his work could be considered a prototype of Iranian graphic design. In Iran, another atmosphere was created based on the aesthetics of the painting.
Katowzian returned to Iran in 1963 and was hired by the Ministry of Culture and Arts. In that ministry, he became familiar with Chanchez Shahvak and Nasr Moffakham and founded the Sabah Gallery in 1964. In 1965 he joined the Architecture Department of the Faculty of Art at Tehran University.
Kamran Katouzian introduced himself as an abstract painter. In his precedent, he recorded graphics teaching at the Faculty of Decorative Arts (1969-1971) and the University of Azad (1990-92).
He was the winner of the Fourth Tehran Biennale, which published an abstract painting in 1964 under the name of an Iranian abstract statue. He participated in the Paris Biennale in 1965, the Venice Biennale in 1966, and the Washington International Art Festival in 1977.
His works are retained as part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Museum of Modern Art in New York.
SS/SAB