Hossein Behzad

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games (non-medal events)
SexMale
Full nameHossein•Behzad
Used nameHossein•Behzad
Original nameحسین•بهزاد
Born1894 in Shiraz, Fars (IRI)
Died13 October 1968 in Tehran, Tehran (IRI)
NOC Islamic Republic of Iran

Biography

Born as the son of a painter and pen manufacturer, Hossein Behzad studied, amongst others, at the Kamāl-ol-Molk art school. At the age of 20, he opened an artist’s workshop in the bazaar of Tehran and initially painted traditional miniatures, some of which were sold by others as fake antiques.

In 1934, he went to Paris for more than a year and studied various painting styles in museums. Based on this, Behzad developed a new style of miniature painting. Combining traditional Persian painting with contemporary painting of the West, he tried to save Persian miniature painting from oblivion. He also illustrated classics of Persian literature.

Behzad subsequently became internationally known and received awards at home and abroad. In 1946, he started working for the Bastan Museum, where he later organized an internationally acclaimed exhibition of Iranian art. At the same time, he taught at the Art Academy in Tehran. In 1955, he had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and one year later 50 of his miniatures were exhibited at the Library of Congress in Washington.

In 1968, Behzad fell ill and went to Europe for treatment twice. Nevertheless, he died the same year. In 1994, a new museum was opened for him in Tehran which keeps a large collection of his works.

Iranian sources mention his two watercolors submitted in 1952 under the titles Polo and The death of the white demon has reached me! while they are listed in the Official Report and the catalog as Archer and Fight between Rostam (Iranian Hero) and Devil. Interestingly, there are several works by Behzad showing Polo motifs, but none with an Archer. The title of the second work has probably been adapted to a western audience. Painted in 1947 it shows a scene from the Book of Kings (Shāhnāme), the national epic of the Persian-speaking world by Abū ʾl-Qāsim Firdausī.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1952 Summer Olympics Art Competitions IRI Hossein Behzad
Painting, Open (Olympic (non-medal)) AC
Painting, Open (Olympic (non-medal)) AC