Dana Nehdaran was born in the Iranian neighborhood of Chaharbagh on the anniversary of his maternal grandfather’s death in 1982. He took his given name, Rahmatollah, from his grandfather who was an art, antique and rare gem merchant; however, he has always been known by his Persian name, Dana, meaning wise. His grandparents’ home held a marvelous collection of paintings and antiques, and his mother and father were arts aficionados, traveling the world to view noted institutional and residential collections. As a child, Dana took great wonder and inspiration from this family’s passion for art and became motivated to study painting after discovering an uncle’s discarded box of art supplies at his grandmother’s house. His mother recognized his passion and talent, nurtured by sharing images from her world travels, and enrolled Dana in private art classes with Hassanpour, a well-known artist who taught Dana fundamentals of art that would eventually lead him to study painting at the Soureh Art University in Shiraz. The most recent series of Esther’s Children was shown in Tehran, Dubai and Los Angeles. Of the more than eight series that Dana has created, all have a focus on the tension between past and present. Dana has been a member of the Iranian Painter Association from 2007. "A Preservation of Light" is the newest body of work by the artist, and draws inspiration from the famed E.J. Bellocq portraits of the women of New Orleans' historic Storyville district.
