Iranian puppet maker, painter and sculptor. Bijan Nematisharif studied Fine Arts at Tehran University and later lectured there and at Soureh and Azad Universities, where he was an inspiring teacher. He was the designer for over eighty puppetry projects, which appeared on stage, film, and television. He was also an employee for thirty years of the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA, in Persian: Kanoon-e- Parvaresh-e Fekri-e Koodakan va Nojavanan), retiring in 2005.
After retirement, he continued painting and making sculpture. Although a well-known artist, he kept on studying, working always to break boundaries and expand his art. He exhibited his work nationally and internationally. He won the 2008 Plaque of Appreciation at the Tehran International Puppet Theater Festival. His statues and puppets are his memorial and are remembered by all who saw them.
Bijan Nematisharif was an honorary member of the Society of Painters and Sculptors and a member of UNIMA Iran (Mobarak UNIMA).
(See Iran.)