Kambiz Derambakhsh at the French Embassy in Tehran on Sunday, 26th of October 2014

Iranian cartoonist Kambiz Derambakhsh received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor Medal during a ceremony held at the Embassy of France in Tehran on Sunday evening.

The medal, which is the highest decoration awarded by the French government, was presented to Derambakhsh by French Ambassador Bruno Foucher during a ceremony at his residence in Tehran.

Derambakhsh is the first Iranian visual artist to have received the award, the Persian service of Honaronline, a Persian news website, announced on Monday.

Iranian scientist Mahmoud Hessaby, filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, stage director Pari Saberi, mythologist Jalal Sattari, poet Mohammad Sepanlu, vocalists Shahram Nazeri and Mohammareza Shajarian, and actress Leila Hatami previously received the honor.

Derambakhsh, 72, has previously held many exhibits across the world and his works are on display in many museums, including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul’s Museum of Cartoon and Comic, and the Cartoonmuseum Basel in Switzerland.

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Sources: Tehran Times, twitter.com | @FranceenIran, Facebook | Kambiz Derambakhsh