
Kambiz Darmbakhsh, an Iranian caricaturist, designer, and graphic artist, was born in 1942 in Shiraz and completed his studies at the Tehran School of Fine Arts. As one of the pioneers of contemporary Iranian caricature, he held over fifty solo exhibitions and dozens of group exhibitions in Iran and internationally. Darmbakhsh’s work spans caricature, illustration, graphic design, and socially and politically themed art, guiding audiences through a unique experience of imagination and reality with his poetic lines and minimalist style. He collaborated extensively with prominent Iranian publications such as Ettela'at Haftgi, Sepid-o-Siah, and the satirical weekly Tofigh, and his works have been published in international outlets including Le Monde, The New York Times, and Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. Darmbakhsh received numerous international awards from countries such as Japan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey, and Brazil, and his works are preserved in major museums worldwide, including the Avignon Museum in Paris, the Basel Cartoon Museum, the Hiroshima Museum, and the Istanbul Cartoon Museum. In addition to his professional career, Kambiz Darmbakhsh taught caricature at the University of Tehran and published numerous books on caricature and illustration. In 2014, in recognition of a lifetime of artistic achievement, he was awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. He passed away in Tehran in 2021 due to COVID-19.
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Solo Exhibitions
2013 Pantomime on Paper, Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran
2014 Visually Interesting Stories 3, Sarban Gallery, Tehran
2014 Smiling Arts, Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran
2015 Please Smile, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran
2017 Retrospective, Art Center Gallery (Garden), Tehran
2022 Poet of Lines, Saleth Gallery, Tehran
2023 Immortals of Kambiz Darmbakhsh, Miyan Parde Projects, Tehran
2023 In Memory of Kambiz Darmbakhsh, Art Center, Tehran
Group Exhibitions
2013 Gathering, Mehrva Gallery, Tehran
2016 First Statement, on the occasion of the opening of Bayan Gallery, Isfahan
2017 Second Anniversary of Negar Gallery, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2017 Second Celebration of Negar Gallery, Tehran
2018 Summer Artibition, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2021 Selected Works from a Personal Collection, Artibition Gallery, Tehran
2021 Apple, Land of Art Gallery, Tehran
2021 Over One Hundred Works, Ben Gallery, Tehran
2021 Face to Face, Javid Gallery, Tehran
2021 Endless Column, Sheidaei Gallery, Tehran
2021 One Million, Saleth Gallery, Tehran
2021 Passed away in Tehran, Iran
2023 Caffeine, Saleth Gallery, Tehran
2023 Eighth Day; Silence, Sheidaei Gallery, Tehran
2023 Contemporary Artists Selection, Art Center, Tehran
2024 Decades Projects 1951-1941, Ev Gallery, Tehran
2025 In the Path of Iranian Art History, Saleth Gallery, Tehran
2025 In White, Javid Gallery, Tehran
Publications
2011-2013 Publication of a collection of works created by
Kambiz Darmbakhsh over the past 35 years, by Michel Lafon Publishing, France
Awards and Honors
2014 Received the Knight of Visual Arts medal in recognition
of a lifetime of achievement
Documentary
2016 Production of a documentary about his works and life,
directed by Javad Atashbazi








