DOCSLIB.ORG

Iranian Modern Art During the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Iranian Modern Art During the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979) Iranian Modern Art during the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979) DISSERTATION to Obtain the degree of Doctor of Art History at the Institute of Art History, University of Regensburg 2021 Presented by Solmaz Keshavarzi First appraiser: Prof. Dr. Christoph Wagner Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................ 10 Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 11 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 12 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 13 1 Modernity .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 The beginning of modernity in Iran ....................................................................... 2 1.2 Modernity in Iran under Pahlavi rule .................................................................... 5 1.3 Chronology ............................................................................................................ 8 1.3.1 1911-1942 ................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 1942-1958 ................................................................................................... 8 1.3.3 1958-1979 ................................................................................................... 9 2 The start of academic art instruction according to Western methods in Iran .......... 10 2.1 The formal inception of modern art in Iran ......................................................... 11 2.1.1 The Faculty of Fine Arts ........................................................................... 12 2.1.2 The Decorative Arts School ..................................................................... 13 3 Tehran galleries, 1954-1979 .................................................................................... 17 3.1 Apadana Gallery (established 1949) ................................................................... 18 3.2 Gallery Esthétique (established 1954) ................................................................. 18 3.3 Modern Art Gallery (established 1955) ............................................................... 19 3.4 Atelier Kaboud (1961-1968) ............................................................................... 19 3.5 Gilgamesh Gallery (1961-1963) .......................................................................... 20 3.6 Burgess Gallery (1966-1979) .............................................................................. 21 3.7 Seyhoun Art Gallery (established 1966) ............................................................. 21 3.8 Niazi Gallery (1967-1972; 1972-1978) ............................................................... 21 3.9 Khaneh Aftab Gallery (1970-1979) ..................................................................... 24 3.10 Zorvan Gallery (1973-1975) ................................................................................ 24 3.11 Sullivan Painting Gallery (1974-1979) ............................................................... 24 3.12 Ghandriz Hall (1964-1977) ................................................................................. 24 3.13 Mehrshad Gallery (1974-1979) ........................................................................... 25 3.14 Zand Gallery (1976-1978) ................................................................................... 28 3.15 Sheikh Gallery (1977-1978) ................................................................................ 29 3.16 Lito Gallery (1971-1979)..................................................................................... 29 4 Modern art exhibitions in Iran (from 1950s to 1979) .............................................. 33 4.1 International exhibitions and the Tehran Biennales ............................................ 33 4.2 The Tehran Biennales .......................................................................................... 35 4.2.1 The 1st Tehran Biennale (14th April 1958), Abyaz Palase ........................ 35 4.2.2 The 2nd Tehran Biennale (April-May 1960, Abyaz Palace) ..................... 38 4.2.3 The 3rd Tehran Biennale (April-May 1962), Abyaz Palace...................... 42 4.2.4 The 4th Tehran Biennale (April-May 1964), Abyaz Palace ...................... 49 4.2.5 The 5th Tehran Biennale (June-July 1966), Museum of Anthropology .... 55 4.3 Iran at the Venice Biennales ................................................................................ 58 5 Artists’ sponsors during the Pahlavi dynasty .......................................................... 61 5.1 The Ministry of Culture and the Arts .................................................................. 61 5.2 The Farah Pahlavi Foundation ............................................................................. 62 6 Uniquely Persian art styles during the Pahlavi dynasty .......................................... 64 6.1 Coffee House painting ......................................................................................... 64 6.2 The Kamal-ol-Molk school (Realism) ................................................................. 65 6.3 Miniature painting ............................................................................................... 66 6.4 The Saqqakhaneh movement ............................................................................... 66 6.4.1 The Saqqakhaneh school and calligraphy ................................................ 68 6.4.2 Favorite elements of the Saqqakhaneh school .......................................... 69 7 Iranian modern artists (1927-1979) ......................................................................... 70 7.1 Painters ................................................................................................................ 70 7.1.1 Jalil Ziapour (1920–1999) ........................................................................ 72 7.1.1.1 “Zeynab Khatun”, 1962..................................................................... 74 7.1.2 Marcos Grigorian (1925–2007) ................................................................ 74 Marcos Grigorian’s four ................................................................................................. 76 7.1.2.1 “The Gate of Auschwitz” .................................................................. 76 7.1.2.2 “Pop art, painting with straw” ........................................................... 76 7.1.3 Abbas Moayeri (born 1939) ..................................................................... 77 7.1.3.1 Classical Persian miniatures .............................................................. 79 7.1.3.2 Modern Persian miniatures................................................................ 79 7.1.3.3 Sculpture............................................................................................ 79 7.1.4 Bahman Mohassess (1931-2010) ............................................................. 79 7.1.4.1 “FiFi Howls from Happiness” ........................................................... 81 7.1.5 Behjat Sadr (1924–2009) .......................................................................... 81 7.1.5.1 “Abstract III”, 1961 ........................................................................... 83 7.2 Graphic designers ................................................................................................ 83 7.2.1 The beginning of modern graphic design in Iran ..................................... 83 7.2.2 Posters ....................................................................................................... 85 7.2.2.1 Morteza Momayez (1936–2005) ....................................................... 88 7.2.2.2 Farshid Mesghali (born 1943) ........................................................... 90 7.2.2.3 Ghobad Shiva (born 1940) ................................................................ 93 7.3 Sculptors .............................................................................................................. 96 7.3.1 Modern sculpture in Iran .......................................................................... 96 7.3.2 The sculpture workshops at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tehran University 98 7.3.3 List of modern sculptors in Iran ............................................................... 98 7.3.3.1 Abolhassan Sadighi (1894 –1995) .................................................... 99 7.3.3.2 Ali Akbar Sanati (1917-2007) ......................................................... 100 7.3.3.3 Parviz Tanavoli (born 1937) ........................................................... 101 7.3.3.4 Bahman Mohassess (1931-2010) .................................................... 104 7.3.3.5 Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1922-2019) ............................ 106 7.4 Photographers .................................................................................................... 109 7.4.1 The beginning of photography in Iran .................................................... 109 7.4.2 Modern photography in Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty ....................... 110 7.4.2.1 Pahlavi I (1925-1941)...................................................................... 110 7.4.2.2
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Karnameh Visual Culture of Iranian Children 1950-1980
    Karnameh Visual Culture of Iranian Children 1950-1980 Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art North Karegar Street May 26 - August 15 Opening Reception: May 25, 6:00 pm Grand Moscow Circus – Designed by Nikzad Nojoumi – Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – 1969 Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, The ABprojects and StudioKargah are pleased to announce Karnameh, Visua Culture of Iranian Children – 1950:1980, curated by Ali Bakhtiari, Peyman Pourhosein and Yashar Samimi Mofakham. Karnameh, the first curated archival exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporry Art, surveying though more than three decades of visual creation for children in a cultur- al and socio-political context. The exhibition is a journey through the early illustrations for educational books, photo documentaries of early century schools, Pioneers of image making and entertainment productions, effect of cold war, American hegemony and Iran between east and west, Oil-based economy and nationalization, religious alternative illustration and literature, revolution and imposed war. Historical archives and collections, unique in its quality and quantity will showcase diverse media such as books, magazines, films and animations, artworks, ephemera…. Most of them less or unseen. The collected archive is the result of collaboration of THEABcollection, StudioKargah Archive, Bread & Salt Collection, National Film Archive, Iran Cinema Museum, Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, Iran Graphic Museum, Children’s Books Association and many other private archives and institutions. As a special additional section to the exhibition, “Karnameh Theatre”, is a five-night film festival, screening films from 1950’s melodramatic Filmfarsis to the 1960’s early Iranian animations and the award winning shorts and animations of the 1970’s; as well as movies of the 1970’s which were banned or lost at the time of production, will be premiered during this event such as Amir Naderi’s lost movie, “The Winner”.
    [Show full text]
  • Rokni Haerizadeh in Conversation with Sohrab Mohebbi
    gather his followers and they would all read Rokni Haerizadeh poetry and drink and dance. When there were in conversation with electricity cuts, it would all happen by Sohrab Mohebbi candlelight. Those houses were part of an interior life that was so different from life outside. Sohrab: I feel like we shouldn’t talk about Tehran. Do you think we can talk about Tehran S: Yeah, your house represented that kind of today? interior life. It was more than just a place to party. Rokni: No, I don’t really think so. R: Right, it gave you relative freedom as S: We can’t, right? an artsy kid, in the way art can. It gave you the option to not be a player and to be R: I mean, what’s the point of talking about a little different. We were working toward it? It makes us sound like delusional old building something new, confronting and men.... It’s been so long since the two of us responding to society, being rebels, anar- have had a conversation in the first place. chists.... It also allowed us to exist We’ve both spent so much time trying to break uniquely as a group. There was this inside away from what we once were. What can those joke between us. Imagine you’re at a gather- memories do for us now? What good are they ing, and all of a sudden you go up to someone other than being very personal? Maybe what and whisper in his ear, “You see that guy we can talk about is the fact that we lived over there? He’s not my brother.
    [Show full text]
  • Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nineteenth-Century Iran
    publications on the near east publications on the near east Poetry’s Voice, Society’s Song: Ottoman Lyric The Transformation of Islamic Art during Poetry by Walter G. Andrews the Sunni Revival by Yasser Tabbaa The Remaking of Istanbul: Portrait of an Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of Ottoman City in the Nineteenth Century a Medieval Persian City by John Limbert by Zeynep Çelik The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi‘i Symbols The Tragedy of Sohráb and Rostám from and Rituals in Modern Iran the Persian National Epic, the Shahname by Kamran Scot Aghaie of Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi, translated by Ottoman Lyric Poetry: An Anthology, Jerome W. Clinton Expanded Edition, edited and translated The Jews in Modern Egypt, 1914–1952 by Walter G. Andrews, Najaat Black, and by Gudrun Krämer Mehmet Kalpaklı Izmir and the Levantine World, 1550–1650 Party Building in the Modern Middle East: by Daniel Goffman The Origins of Competitive and Coercive Rule by Michele Penner Angrist Medieval Agriculture and Islamic Science: The Almanac of a Yemeni Sultan Everyday Life and Consumer Culture by Daniel Martin Varisco in Eighteenth-Century Damascus by James Grehan Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey, edited by Sibel Bozdog˘an and The City’s Pleasures: Istanbul in the Eigh- Res¸at Kasaba teenth Century by Shirine Hamadeh Slavery and Abolition in the Ottoman Middle Reading Orientalism: Said and the Unsaid East by Ehud R. Toledano by Daniel Martin Varisco Britons in the Ottoman Empire, 1642–1660 The Merchant Houses of Mocha: Trade by Daniel Goffman and Architecture in an Indian Ocean Port by Nancy Um Popular Preaching and Religious Authority in the Medieval Islamic Near East Tribes and Empire on the Margins of Nine- by Jonathan P.
    [Show full text]
  • The La Trobe Journal No. 91 June 2013 Endnotes Notes On
    Endnotes NB: ‘Scollay’ refers to Susan Scollay, ed., Love and Devotion: from Persia and beyond, Melbourne: Macmillan Art Publishing in association with the State Library of Victoria and the Bodleian Library, 2012; reprinted with new covers, Oxford: The Bodleian Library, 2012. Melville, The ‘Arts of the Book’ and the Diffusion of Persian Culture 1 This article is a revised version of the text of the ‘Keynote’ lecture delivered in Melbourne on 12 April 2012 to mark the opening of the conference Love and Devotion: Persian cultural crossroads. It is obviously not possible to reproduce the high level of illustrations that accompanied the lecture; instead I have supplied references to where most of them can be seen. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those at the State Library of Victoria who worked so hard to make the conference such a success, and for their warmth and hospitality that made our visit to Melbourne an unrivalled pleasure. A particular thanks to Shane Carmody, Robert Heather and Anna Welch. 2 The exhibition Love and Devotion: from Persia and beyond was held in Melbourne from 9 March to 1 July 2012 with a second showing in Oxford from 29 November 2012 to 28 April 2013. It was on display at Oxford at the time of writing. 3 Scollay. 4 For a recent survey of the issues at stake, see Abbas Amanat and Farzin Vejdani, eds., Iran Facing Others: identity boundaries in a historical perspective, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012; the series of lectures on the Idea of Iran, supported by the Soudavar Memorial Foundation, has now spawned five volumes, edited by Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis and Sarah Stewart, vols.
    [Show full text]
  • Staging Iranian Modernity: Authors in Search of New Forms
    Copyright by Maryam Shariati 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Maryam Shariati certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Staging Iranian Modernity: Authors in Search of New Forms Committee: Elizabeth M. Richmond-Garza, Supervisor Mohammad R. Ghanoonparvar, Co-Supervisor Lynn R. Wilkinson Katherine M. Arens Sofian Merabet Staging Iranian Modernity: Authors in Search of New Forms by Maryam Shariati, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY The University of Texas at Austin May 2016 Dedication For my soulmate, Ehsan. For everything. Acknowledgements I wish to gratefully acknowledge the guidance and support I have received, intellectual and otherwise, throughout the process of composing and revising this dissertation. My first debt of gratitude is to my dissertation committee members and in particular my indefatigable supervisor, Professor Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, for her unflinching encouragement and infinite forbearance throughout my studies at The University of Texas at Austin. She has been an erudite mentor, critical commentator, and encouraging guide and I thank her for sharing her wealth of knowledge, invaluable insight and expertise in this project. To my co-supervisor, Professor Mohammad R. Ghanoonparvar, I owe immeasurable debt of gratitude for his intellectual guidance and strong commitment to my research—from the start to finish. His boundless enthusiasm, great knowledge, and unfathomable erudition opened an avenue to many stimulating discussions and enabled me to have a clear direction of my project. Another substantial acknowledgement must go to Professor Lynn Wilkinson for her instrumental role at every stage of my research: conceptualizing, researching, and writing.
    [Show full text]
  • Silence Studies in the Cinema and the Case of Abbas Kiarostami
    SILENCE STUDIES IN THE CINEMA AND THE CASE OF ABBAS KIAROSTAMI by Babak Tabarraee M.A., Tehran University of Art, 2007 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Film Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) January 2013 © Babak Tabarraee, 2013 Abstract This thesis is an attempt to formulate a systematic framework for ‘silence studies’ in the cinema by defining silence in pragmatic terms and suggesting different forms of filmic silence. As an illustration of my model, I examine the variety of silences in the works of Abbas Kiarostami, a notable figure of Art Cinema. The analytical approach suggested here can further be applied to the works of many other Art Cinema auteurs, and, by extension, to other cinematic modes as well, for a better understanding of the functions, implications, and consequences of various forms of silence in the cinema. Chapter 1 provides a working and pragmatic description of silence, applicable to both film and other communicative forms of art. Chapter 2 represents a historical study of some of the major writings about silence in the cinema. Chapter 3 introduces, exemplifies, and analyzes the acoustic silences in the films of Kiarostami, including the five categories of complete , partial (uncovered; covered with noise, music, or perspective), character/dialogue , language , and music silences. Chapter 4 introduces the concept of meta-silence and its trans-sensorial perceptions in communication and in arts, and then defines the four categories of the visual , character/image , narrative , and political silences in Kiarostami’s oeuvre.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2Nd Biennial Festival of Non-Western Contemporary
    The 2 nd biennial festival of non-Western contemporary photography 22/09/09 - 22/11/2009 Artistic direction: Anahita Ghabaian Etehadieh Scenography: Patrick Jouin M U S É E D U Q U A I B R A N L Y C O N T A C T S Communications Department Nathalie Mercier, Communications Director 33(0)1 56 61 70 20 • [email protected] Magalie Vernet, Media Relations Manager 33(0)1 56 61 52 87 • [email protected] P R E S S C O N T A C T S Heymann, Renoult Associates 33(0)1 44 61 76 76 • [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] www.quaibranly.fr / www.photoquai.fr CONTENTS Preface by Stéphane Martin, President of the musée du quai Branly page 3 Preface by Anahita Ghabaian Etehadieh, Artistic Director of PHOTOQUAI page 4 I. Presentation of PHOTOQUAI 2009 page 7 II. Organisation of PHOTOQUAI 2009 page 8 III. Selection of works - PHOTOQUAI , the exhibition on the quai Branly page 10 - 165 years of Iranian photography at the musée du quai Branly page 28 - Portraits croisés (comparative portraits) , at the Pavillon des Sessions page 29 IV. The photographic collection of the musée du quai Branly page 30 V. Meetings, screenings, debates page 33 - Meetings with the photographers - Fridays at PHOTOQUAI - PHOTOQUAI School: « Regards croisés » (comparative views) - PHOTOQUAI Forum VI. PHOTOQUAI’s partners page 36 VII. Patrons and sponsors page 48 VIII. Media partners page 49 IX. Annexes - Catalogue page 50 - Curators' biographies page 51 - Photographers’ biographies page 54 - Practical information / Press contacts page 60 www.quaibranly.fr / www.photoquai.fr * PREFACE BY STEPHANE MARTIN Stéphane Martin © musée du quai Branly, photo Greg Semu In 2009, the musée du quai Branly was three years old.
    [Show full text]
  • Modernism in Iran:1958-1978 Colin Browne & Pantea Haghighi
    In conversation: Modernism in Iran:1958-1978 Colin Browne & Pantea Haghighi Pantea Haghighi and Colin Browne met on June 20, 2018 to discuss Modernism in Iran: 1958-1978, which ran from January 26 to May 5, 2018 at Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver, BC. Colin Browne: I’m speaking with Pantea Haghighi, owner and curator of Republic Gallery in Vancouver, BC, about an exhibition she organized recently entitled Modernism in Iran: 1958-1978. Would you be willing to describe it for us, along with your intentions? Pantea Haghighi: Sure. The exhibition featured works by Mohammad Ehsai, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Mansour Ghandriz, Farideh Lashai, Sirak Melkonian, Bahman Mohasses, Faramarz Pilaram, Behjat Sadr, Parviz Tanavoli, Mohsen Vaziri-Moghaddam, and Charles Zenderoudi. These artists played an important role in establishing Modernism in Iran during the cultural renaissance that occurred between 1958 and 1978. In Iran, their work is referred to as Late Modernism. I decided to divide the gallery in half. On one side I placed the work of those artists who were exploring their national artistic identity, returning to old Persian motifs in order to identify with Modernism. On the other side, I placed the work of artists who were heavily influenced by Western art. When you entered the room, you were immediately aware of the two different expressions of Iranian Modernism. CB: I want to ask about the show, but let’s frst talk about what might be called Early Modernism in Iran. PH: Early Modernism dates from around 1940, when the School of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran opened.
    [Show full text]
  • Reading Carpet and Architectural Common Aspects
    Reading Carpet and Architectural common aspects Arefeh Behzadi Rad1, Javad Divandari2* 1Master of Science (MSc), Department of Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Kashan, Iran. 2Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, University of Kashan, Iran. Correspondence: Ziba Borzabadi Farahani, Assisstant Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ABSTRACT The ancient Persian religion and customs that has been entered the people's life of this land is playing an undeniable role in the carpets design. What's more all about the connection between the carpet and the architecture is the mystical and Iranian twists from both original arts which is exacerbated and has certain originality. This article aims to identify architecture and carpet, their features and study the relationship between these two arts in the Islamic civilization of Iran with matching the symbols and signs used in it in order to achieve the meanings of the hidden unit in arts. It was written by relying on handed manuscripts resources and visiting carpet weaving workshops and architecture. This is a fundamental question how to make Link between both original and traditional art architecture and carpet. Comprehensive attention and review in overall design of the carpet presentation with its similarity to architecture, expresses the fundamentals of common principles. It provides a table on the plan formation of two original Iranian arts. This article seeks to identify common aspects between Iranian noble arts. Keywords: Common aspects, Carpet, Architecture, Communication of arts with each oder. Introduction civilization. They are familiar with the most natural human emotions and beliefs.
    [Show full text]
  • Inspection Report
    9 Elite Pro Cards IFBB Persian Gulf Diamond Cup Tehran, Iran October 10-12, 2018 Inspection Report Open for the IFBB-affiliated National Federations from Asia, Africa and Europe WelcoFmre:e accommodation for all non-Iranian athletes' IFBB Persian Gulf Diamond Cup Tehran, Iran October 10-12, 2018 The Organizing Committee of the Iranian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness wishes to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to all participants of the IFBB Persian Gulf Diamond Cup in Tehran, Iran, October 10-12, 2018. About Tehran Tehran is the capital city of Iran. A bustling metropolis of 14 million people, it is situated at the foot of the towering Alborz mountain rang. Tehran is a cosmopolitan city, with great museums, parks, restaurants, and warm friendly people. Tehran Altitude between 1, 200 and 1, 700 meters. Mehrabad Airport to the west of city. Railway: European link through Tabriz and Istanbul, internal lines to Mashhad, Yazd and Khoramshahr. Regular coach services in all directions. Capital and largest city of Iran and Tehran Province in an area of 600sq. km. since 200 years, is located in the northern part of the country. Tehran is Iran's administrative, economic, and cultural center as well as the major industrial and transportation center of the region. The city sits on the slopes of the Alborz Mountains at an elevation of about 12 10 m., on the northwestern fringes of the Dashte-e-Kavir, a desert in central Iran. Most of the growth is channeled along an east-west axis and toward the south, to the north, the city is constrained by the steep Alborz Mountains.
    [Show full text]
  • See the Document
    IN THE NAME OF GOD IRAN NAMA RAILWAY TOURISM GUIDE OF IRAN List of Content Preamble ....................................................................... 6 History ............................................................................. 7 Tehran Station ................................................................ 8 Tehran - Mashhad Route .............................................. 12 IRAN NRAILWAYAMA TOURISM GUIDE OF IRAN Tehran - Jolfa Route ..................................................... 32 Collection and Edition: Public Relations (RAI) Tourism Content Collection: Abdollah Abbaszadeh Design and Graphics: Reza Hozzar Moghaddam Photos: Siamak Iman Pour, Benyamin Tehran - Bandarabbas Route 48 Khodadadi, Hatef Homaei, Saeed Mahmoodi Aznaveh, javad Najaf ...................................... Alizadeh, Caspian Makak, Ocean Zakarian, Davood Vakilzadeh, Arash Simaei, Abbas Jafari, Mohammadreza Baharnaz, Homayoun Amir yeganeh, Kianush Jafari Producer: Public Relations (RAI) Tehran - Goragn Route 64 Translation: Seyed Ebrahim Fazli Zenooz - ................................................ International Affairs Bureau (RAI) Address: Public Relations, Central Building of Railways, Africa Blvd., Argentina Sq., Tehran- Iran. www.rai.ir Tehran - Shiraz Route................................................... 80 First Edition January 2016 All rights reserved. Tehran - Khorramshahr Route .................................... 96 Tehran - Kerman Route .............................................114 Islamic Republic of Iran The Railways
    [Show full text]
  • Frieze NYC 2018 Press Release
    ! Dastan is pleased to announce its participation in Frieze Art Fair New York 2018 with a presentation of works by Ardeshir Mohassess. The presentation will consist of a number of Mohassess’ drawings from the 1970s. Dastan has recently compiled and published a bilingual (Farsi/English) book incorporating the results of 3 years of research into the life and works of the artist, which will also be included in the presentation. Coming ten years after the Ardeshir Mohassess Retrospective in Asia Society Museum curated by Shirin Neshat and Nicky Nodjoumi, the presentation will seek to approach the artist’s work through the lens of New Historicism, while exploring it in relation to the power structure and society of different periods and reveal their evolutions. Traces of the artist's practice can still be found in the works of Iranian artists inside and outside Iran. The works in the presentation are selected from two of the artist’s series, “Vaqaye Etefaqie” (lit. ‘Current Events’) and “Shenasnameh” (lit. ‘Identity Card’). Ardeshir’s “Vaqaye Etefaqie” (1970-1971) uses states-people and aristocrats as subject matter and portrays them in their lavish lifestyles and pointless accomplishments. On the other hand, “Shenasnameh” (1972) presents a world of Ardeshir’s frail figures, broken and tortured under cruelty and oppression. When viewed together, these two series depict a picture of the era’s socio-political landscape —a turmoil that arguably reached its boiling point in the form of the 1979 revolution. In the words of the late Iranian poet, writer and journalist, Ahmad Shamlu (1925-2000), “Ardeshir’s typical human beings, i.e.
    [Show full text]