Darz In Memoriam: A Tribute to Mahmoudreza Bahmanpour

Mahmoudreza Bahmanpour, the Iranian publisher, art historian, and founder of Nazar Publishing, passed away on May 1 after years of battling cancer. He was 62.

A central figure in the development and preservation of contemporary Iranian art publishing, Bahmanpour played a defining role in documenting generations of Iranian artists, writers, photographers, illustrators, and thinkers at a time when serious art publishing in Iran remained limited and fragmented. Through Nazar Publishing, which he founded in the 1990s, he helped establish one of the country’s most influential and enduring platforms dedicated to visual arts, art history, criticism, and cultural research.

Born in 1963, Bahmanpour was also among the founders of the Iranian Illustrators Society and remained deeply involved in shaping Iran’s visual culture for decades. Under his direction, Nazar Publishing became known not only for the breadth of its publications, but also for its commitment to quality, continuity, and accessibility. The publishing house collaborated with major figures including Abbas Kiarostami, Farshid Mesghali, Maryam Zandi, Ahmad Aali, Ahmadreza Ahmadi, and Dariush Ashouri, publishing and archiving important bodies of work that may otherwise have remained scattered or inaccessible.

Among the notable titles published under his supervision were The Clock Square: Selected Works of Mohammad Fassounaki, Selected Works of Farshid Mesghali, Ham Safar-e Baad: Selected Works of Houshang Pezeshknia, Selected Caricatures of Masoud Mehrabi, and Maryam: Five Decades of Maryam Zandi’s Photographic Life. Many of these publications became foundational references for students, researchers, and artists across Iran.

Beyond publishing, Bahmanpour played an important role in giving contemporary Iranian art a sense of continuity and permanence. At a time when much of Iran’s artistic production risked remaining scattered or undocumented, he created a space where artists, researchers, and writers could preserve their work and build a lasting cultural record. Colleagues and writers frequently described Nazar Publishing as a home for artists and researchers with differing perspectives and disciplines, a rare cultural platform built on patience, openness, and long term commitment rather than ideology. His work also introduced wider audiences in Iran to modern and contemporary global art movements, including conceptual art, abstraction, and contemporary visual theory, through carefully curated translations, monographs, and research-based publications. Alongside his publishing work, Bahmanpour was engaged in collecting and preserving archives related to Iranian contemporary art history, particularly in photography, illustration, and painting.

News of his passing prompted widespread reactions across Iran’s artistic and literary communities, with many artists, designers, writers, and publishers sharing personal memories of his generosity, persistence, and influence on their work and careers.

Mahmoudreza Bahmanpour leaves behind a body of work that helped shape the visual and intellectual memory of contemporary Iranian art. Through the books, archives, and artistic histories he preserved, his influence will continue to remain present across generations.

Cover and Slider Image:

• Razi Miri