Mahmoud Javadi Pour

Mahmoud Javadipour, one of the pioneers of modern art in Iran, was born in Tehran in 1920. Between 1941 and 1947, he studied at the art school affiliated with the University of Tehran (today’s Faculty of Fine Arts) under professors such as Mohammad-Ali Heydarian and Marthe Célestin Eve, a French painter. In 1949, Javadipour’s works were exhibited alongside works by Hossein Kazemi and Ahmad Esfandiari at the Iran–France Cultural Association. In the same year, together with Hossein Kazemi and Houshang Ajoudani, he founded Apadana Gallery, the first Iranian art gallery—an important milestone in his artistic career. He held his first solo exhibition in this gallery. In 1951, he traveled to Germany and studied for two years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. After returning to Iran, he taught art at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, and later returned to Munich to continue his studies. In 1965, the Supreme Council of Culture of Iran recognized his academic qualifications as equivalent to a doctorate. During his tenure at the University of Tehran, he held managerial roles such as the head of the Department of Visual Arts, and also taught at the School of Fine Arts, the Kamal-ol-Molk Art School, and the School of Decorative Arts. Alongside painting and teaching, Javadipour devoted a significant part of his career to illustration and graphic design. He also experimented with printmaking, producing his first color linocuts while residing in Munich. In 1960, he exhibited a collection of graphic works, prints, and ceramics at the Reza Abbasi Hall. Javadipour’s paintings were exhibited many times in Iran and abroad. In 2010, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in its series “Pioneers of Iranian Modern Art,” showcased his works and published an illustrated book on his artistic career. Javadipour passed away in 2012.