Bahman Mohassess (1931–2010) was born in Rasht, Iran. He began studying art at fourteen and later trained at the Rome Arts Academy in Italy, also working briefly with Ferruccio Ferrazzi. His work, ranging from Abstract Expressionism to Expressive Figurative painting and sculpture, was exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale and shows in São Paulo and Paris. In 1964, he returned to Iran, where he had a highly productive creative period before settling permanently in Rome in 1968. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, much of his work was destroyed. He died in Rome in 2010.