KAMRAN DIBA - ARTIST

 
See also:
Kamran Diba Architect

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY ON KAMRAN DIBA'S ART CAREER

Kamran Diba, Iranian artist, started his career in the U.S.A. in the 1960s. He participated in group exhibitions such as the Corcoran Gallery annuals in Washington D.C. Gallery Realites, (Washington D.C.) showed a one- person exhibition of his abstract paintings in 1963.

Tapestry, 1961 Oil on Canvas 118 X182 Collection: Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

Although he painted in the States and adopted abstract expressionism, the Iranian culture and civilization gradually influenced his work. The result was a series of paintings with the composition of Persian illuminated manuscripts and calligraphy. Before returning to Iran he participated in the Tehran and International Biannuals.

Green on Blue, 1962 Oil on Canvas Approximately 118X182 Collection: Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

His first show in Iran was an installation and audio visual work called "Prodigal Waterman" circa 1966 at the Sayhoun Gallery.

Walk With Me Series, 1976 Size not available Collection: Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

Prodigal Waterman, circa 1966 Oil on Canvas Approximately 180X75 Collection: Grey Art Gallery (New York University) The Zand Gallery (Tehran) represented Diba in the seventies. In addition to his paintings, in 1974 he created a performance or happening involving the opening night public. Walk With Me Series, 1976 Size not available Collection: Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

Diba, also an architect, founded, designed, and directed the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in the 1970s, which as a result, now owns one of the richest collections of modern and contemporary artworks in the world. Karim Emami in the encyclopedia Iranica refers to him as an art catalyst in the Iranian society of the 1970s.

After the Iranian revolution, Diba painted continuously throughout the eighties and nineties, however, chose not to exhibit the works publicly.



In 2005, his paintings of 1961 was shown in the show, "IRANIAN MODERN ART MOVEMENT" from the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary of Art.

Diba's recent works relate to the collective memory of Iranians. The titles and images are somehow familiar to recent generations of the Iranian people.

Land of Persia, 2007 Oil on Canvas 40 X 50 Ave Gallery, Tehran

Silk Road, 2008 Oil on Canvas, 105X105 Bird II, 2007 Oil on Canvas, 45.2X55

In 2008, he has produced multilingual and multicultural "Global News".

Global Newspaper- I, 2008 Print on Paper, 70X46.60

Global Newspaper- II, 2008 Print on Paper, 70X46.60

He has also created a series of photographic works depicting three decades of war and destruction in the Middle East.

Arrival I, 2008 Digital Photo, 138X103 Edition of five

Suspended, 2008 Digital Photo, 103X138 & 150X190 Edition of five

Too Late, 2008 Digital Photo, 60X162 Edition of five

Grounded, 2008 Digital Photo, 138X103 Edition of five

This series of work has been exhibited in Dubai in Ave Gallery and XVA Gallery in 2008 and in the exhibition "Iran Inside Out" in Chelsea Museum, New York in 2009.

The most recent work by Kamran Diba is a series of paintings titled "Front Page" and "Tehran Edition". The "Front Page" is abstracted replica of actual newspaper with actual date. News topics are abstracted in colour codes and images are painted in black and white.

Front Page - Sarkozy assails Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Acrylic on canvas, 162x116 cm

Front Page- A Charm Offensive Saturday, April 4, 2009 Acrylic on canvas, 162x116 cm

"Tehran Edition" is a painted collage of images and texts. The actual text is covered and the pictures in colour are painted to convey a particular narrative.

Holly wood icons, 2009 Acrylic on Canvas, 130X97 cm

Soft touch, 2009 Acrylic on Canvas, 130X97 cm

Kamran Diba presently lives in Europe. He has a private collection of contemporary western art and has participated actively in the contemporary art world in the last thirty years.