Italian maestro Enrico Gerola had a performance in Niavaran Cultural Complex in Tehran accompanied by Iranian singer Parvaz Homay and members of his ensemble Mastan on July 26 and 27.
Homay, who is a Persian traditional singer and composer, is scheduled to perform a repertoire of his latest pieces as well as some of his hits.
Earlier last year, Gerola and Homay held a tour of the U.S. and in addition to his concert tour in America, they held some performances in Iran.
Mastan features Milad Alipur on tar, Moslem Alipur on kamancheh, Mohammad Nozari on santur and Pasha Hanji on ney.
The 7th night of 32nd Fajr Music Festival was devoted to joint performance of Tehran Symphony Orchestra and the Puccini Festival Orchestra from Italy, under the baton of maestros Shahrdad Rohaniand Paolo Olmi.
The Puccini Festival Orchestra, one of the most prestigious orchestras of Italy, came to Iran with conductor Paolo Olmi and 40 musicians to dazzle the audience gathered at Vahdat Hall on Thursday night with a breathtaking performance together with an Iranian ensemble from Tehran Symphony Orchestra under the baton of acclaimed Iranian maestro Shahrdad Rohani.
All tickets to this highly-anticipated performance were sold out within the first hour and the beautiful 750-seated hall of Vahdat became enameled for the next two hours with the powerful, soul-moving and heartfelt notes of violins, cellos, contrabasses, oboes and clarinets.
Before the orchestra began, Rohani greeted the audience with a sad smile and dedicated the night’s performance to the injured and victims of Plasco building collapse in Tehran as well as those who lost their lives in an earthquake in Italy.
Following that, the audience all rose in respect to the national anthems of Iran and Italy played by the musicians on stage.
Rohani conducted the first three pieces including “William Tell” by Gioachino Rossini, his own composition “Persian Garden”, and “The Capriccio Italien” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. After a short intermission, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 was conducted flawlessly by Paolo Olmi.
The performance of “Persian Garden” had a special added beauty as Rohani invited Iranian violoncello solo performer Nasim Saad to bestow upon the ever hungry ears of the audience the soulful, plaintive notes of the wavering strings.
The piece ended with Rohani’s remark on the stage, “this cultural exchange between Italian musicians and Tehran Symphony Orchestra shows just how much these two nations have in common.”
He went on to add, “all human beings have something in common. Just imagine how more beautiful this world could be if we focused on our similarities instead of differences. We are all the same and it does not matter where we have come from.”
Rohani then revealed another surprise just before the intermission: “While the presence of two maestros at one concert is uncommon, I have to say that tonight we have actually three.” He then went on to introduce Alberto Veronesi who conducted a short piece composed by legendary Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini.
The performance was concluded by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, performed in four consecutive sections, which gave Vahdat Hall a reverent, solemn air. Despite long, standing ovation, the performance was not followed by a bis, perhaps because the Italian ensemble needed to fly back to their country that night.
The composition of the musicians was so that each Italian musician was seated next to an Iranian in a symbolic move to stress on unity and commonality.
“The Italian musicians all spoke in praise of the Iranian musicians and admitted that they had not expected to witness such quality work from Tehran Symphony Orchestra,” Rohani had said in an interview prior to the concert.
“In the short period of time that I was in Iran, I felt that Persian music has influenced European music,” maestro Paolo Olmi said. “The kind of music that I heard at the restaurants in Iran sounded a lot like Italian pop music. The similarities are all there and this shows how different cultures can influence and be influenced by one another.”
Olmi went on to add, “I have had a good experience with Iranian musicians of Tehran Symphony Orchestra. They are young, energetic and professional. I am actually looking forward to having Tehran Symphony Orchestra in Italy and introduce them to our people.”
The 32nd Fajr International Music Festival, Iran’s most reputable music event, was held from January 11-20, 2017 in various avenues in capital Tehran. The international section introduced to the Iranian audience music from Azerbaijan Republic, India, Lebanon, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Japan. Winners of this edition of the festival will be announced on Sunday.
Paolo Olmi began his career in 1979 as conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He has directed operas and concerts all over the world (Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Chicago, Madrid, Lisbon, Venice, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Beijing, Shanghai). He has conducted almost all works by Giuseppe Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti, and Umberto Giordano. From 1990-1993, he was the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of RAI National Symphony Orchestra. From 2006-2011, he was the musical director and artistic adviser of the Opera National de Nancy et de Lorraine in France. Since 2002, he is a visiting professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London./ Mehrnews
Italy ranked first among European importers of Iranian goods in the nine months to December 20, 2016, Iran Customs Administration (ICA) figures showed.
Italy was first among European importers of Iranian commodities importing over 678,000 tons of Iranian goods worth more than $385 million in the nine-month period, announced Iran’s customs office, IRNA reported.
It further said that 40 European countries imported Iranian goods valued at $1.856 billion.
In late November, Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro Conciatori in a meeting with Hormuzgan Governor General Jassem Jadari in Bandar Abbas voiced Rome’s willingness to expand economic and industrial relations with Tehran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi met in New York which was the fourth meeting in the past years, he pointed out. During the meeting the two sides underscored the need to double efforts to broaden relations, Conciatori said during the meeting.
He reiterated that Iran and Italy have deep familiarity about each other and have been in contact with each other through Silk Road which can pave the way for boosting ties between the two countries.
Conciatori pointed to the berthing of Italian warship in Bandar Abbas, and said, “The presence of the Italian warship shows the positive development in relations between the two countries.”
Iran has managed to attract 7.2 billion dollars in finance from three foreign banks, the vice governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced on Saturday.
Gholamali Kamyab said attracting $10 billion of foreign finance has been defined as a project for the CBI in the area of Resistance Economy, Tasnim News Agency reported.
He made the remarks in a meeting with CBIofficials, which was attended by First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri in Tehran.
The CBI vice governor added that up to now, 72 percent of the project has been implemented.
There has been a new wave of interest in ties with Iran since Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries – Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany – reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear program in 2015.
The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran.
Deputy Head of the Commercial Development Section of the Italian Embassy in Tehran, Tony Giardini, said that Italians are ready to invest in Iran’s petrochemical industry.
He said since the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal in January, tens of Italian economic activists have visited Iran to explore investment opportunities in the country, IRNA reported.
The Italian official said that given Iran’s attractive oil and gas industries, stronger cooperation is expected to come about between major Iranian and Italian companies.
“The Iranian petrochemical industry, as a vanguard in economic growth, is in dire need of investment and development,” Giardini said.
Corradini said that Italian companies are also willing to invest in Iranian small- and medium-sized downstream oil and gas industries.
He added that Italy enjoys technology in the small- and medium-sized industries and Italian companies want to enter talks with Iranians for sale of equipment and investment in the industry.
After Germany, Italy is Iran’s second major trade partner, and it seems that cooperation between the two countries in the petrochemical field is not an unattainable goal, said the Italian diplomat.
Italian companies seem to be very keen to invest on Iran‘s marine industries, says the head of an Iranian company involved in building fiberglass recreational boats and marine gears on the Kish Island.
Two Italian manufacturers of sea light vessels and marine gears participated in the Eighth International Maritime and Offshore Technologies Exhibition held on the Kish Island from October 18 to 21, Hossein Jahangiri told the Islamic Republic News Agency in a recent interview.
We were looking for a technology transfer deal with the Italian companies, said the managing director of Fiber Sanat Darya Kish company.
‘The two Italian companies also believed that the Persian Gulf Island provides them with a good opportunity to manufacture and market their products,’ Jahangiri said.
As no country in Asia represents the two companies, striking deals with the two Italian fiberglass boat and marine gear manufacturers is going to provide Iran with a chance to market the products jointly produced with the help of Italian companies across the region, he said.
A team of Iranian and Italian experts have begun restoration work in Pasargadae in Iran’s Fars province.
Director General of Iran’s Bureau of International Databases Farhad Azizi said Iran and Italy are cooperating more than a year and a half to restore Pasargadae constructions.
This year, he added, the Italian delegation in collaboration with Iranian counterpart started field works to study and protect the palace of Cyrus the Great and Winged Figure.
Italian experts in renovation, architecture, physics, chemistry, documentation, biology and geology as well as Iranian experts discussed the problems and the protection methods of the site’s stone monuments.
The Italian and Iranian teams kicked off cooperation according to an agreement signed between Iran’ Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), The National Institute for Conservation and Restoration (ISCR) and Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.
Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization.
Particularly noteworthy vestiges in the 160-ha site include: the Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace and gardens.
Pasargadae was the capital of the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. Spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River, it is considered to be the first empire that respected the cultural diversity of its different peoples. This was reflected in Achaemenid architecture, a synthetic representation of different cultures.
Italy has voiced willingness to expand economic and industrial relations with Tehran.
Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro Conciatori said in a meeting with Hormuzgan Governor General Jassem Jedari in Bandar Abbas that Iranian president (Hassan Rouhani) and Italian prime minister (Matteo Renzi) met for the fourth time over the past year in New York last week during which both sides underscored the need for doubling efforts to broaden ties, wrote Fars News Agency.
Noting that Iran and Italy are quite familiar about each other and have been in contact through the Silk Road, he said this can pave the way for boosting ties between the two countries.
Conciatori pointed to the berthing of Italian warship in Bandar Abbas, and said the presence of the Italian warship is a positive development in relations between the two countries.
In mid-July, Iranian and Italian officials in a meeting in Sari, Mazandaran Province, signed four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to expand cooperation in areas such as trade and economic sectors.
The MoUs were signed in a ceremony attended by governors of Iran’s Mazandaran Province and Italy’s Marche Province.
Marche Governor Luca Ceriscioli was accompanied by a 50-member trade delegation which included 43 CEOs, manager of an Italian bank and chancellors of two Italian universities.
In mid-April, Iran and Italy signed 12 contracts to boost cooperation in trade and economic fields.
Chairman of Iran-Italy Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Mines Ahmad Pourfallah said the agreements were signed in a ceremony attended by Italian Prime Minister Renzi and Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, Mohammadreza Nematzadeh.
He said negotiations are also underway between Iranian and Italian trade delegations to discuss further cooperation in economy, trade and banking.
According to the official, the discussions include cooperation in oil, gas, electricity, power plant, steel, textile, fashion, car, infrastructure, urban planning and architecture, telecommunication, railway, airport construction, shipping, refinery, and petrochemicals.
He said the Italian economic delegation, including 70 economic firms, is the ninth delegation to visit Iran after the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions.
A day earlier, President Rouhani had reiterated the need for the timely and precise implementation of the nuclear agreement by the world powers.
“The nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, Russia, Britain, France and China plus Germany) was a success for all countries which believe that talks is the solution to the international problems and we should well protect the achievements of this agreement so that all people opt for the path of talks as a role model to settle the problems in the world,” Rouhani said, addressing a meeting between high-raking Iranian and Italian delegations, also attended by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, in Tehran.
He underscored the importance of precise and timely implementation of all undertakings accepted by the other side in the nuclear agreement with Iran.
President Rouhani also appreciated Italy for its goodwill and support during the Iran-P5+1 talks. iran daily
President Rouhani officially welcomed the Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi in Sa’dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran on Tuesday 12 April 2016. Mr. Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister of Italy and his entourage met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Revolution, Tuesday afternoon. Chairman of Expediency Council of Iran Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday met with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Tehran.
President Rouhani described the signing of 36 cooperation documents between Iran and Italy in the recent months as the illustrator of the firm resolve of the two countries for developing ties and cooperation and said: “Italian Prime Minister’s trip to Tehran is a significant start for developing Tehran-Rome ties in different economic, scientific, technological and tourism fields, as well as consultation and coordination in important regional and international issues”.
Tehran, Rome to restore trade to pre-sanctions level
President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would like to see its trade ties with Italy restored to the level that existed before the Islamic Republic came under nuclear-related sanctions.
President Rouhani made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Tehran on Tuesday, Press TV reported.
“Italy was Iran’s biggest trade partner in the European Union prior to the sanctions, and today we want the country to perform its previous role,” the president said.
The EU lifted its sanctions against Iran under a nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and the P5+1. The deal was reached last July and went into force in January this year.
Renzi arrived early Tuesday at the head of a 250-strong political and economic delegation, making him the first Italian official in such capacity to travel to the Islamic Republic since 2001.
Italian foreign minister, minister of infrastructures and transports, minister of economic development, and minister of agriculture, food and forestry policies as well as businessmen and personalities from Italy’s public and private sectors are accompanying Renzi in the visit.
Seven documents for cooperation were signed by the two sides earlier in the day.
President Rouhani visited Italy in January for two days, during which the two countries signed deals worth up to 17 billion euros (18.42 billion dollars).
In his Tuesday remarks, Rouhani said his visit to Italy and Renzi’s travel to Iran “both carry a clear message of the two governments’ resolve to expand relations in the areas of economy, science, and culture.”
The Italian premier has described his visit to Iran as a political “investment,” saying friendship with Tehran could contribute to the fight against Daesh, which has staged deadly attacks across Europe.
Italy was one of Iran’s leading economic and trade partners before sanctions when annual exchanges amounted to 7 billion euros compared with $1.6 billion euros now.
European governments have scrambled to renew business ties with Iran since the EU, the US, China, and Russia reached the nuclear agreement with Tehran in July last year.
Renowned Iranian painter and educator Mahmoud Farshchian has passed away, as announced by the Academy of Arts on Saturday. He died at the age of 95 while hospitalized in the United States.
Born in the historic city of Isfahan in 1930, Mahmoud Farshchian was also a member of the Iranian Academy of Arts. His artistic journey began when his father enrolled him in the workshop of Haj Mirza Agha Emami, a prominent traditional artist. He later pursued further studies at the Isfahan School of Fine Arts under the guidance of Master Issa Bahadori.
Farshchian was the pioneer of a unique style and school within Iranian painting. While remaining true to the authentic foundations of this traditional art form, he expanded the horizons of Persian painting through innovative techniques.
Childhood: Nature, beauty, & family Isfahan, Iran 1930 Born in Isfahan in 1930, Mahmoud Farshchian grew up in the proximity of Isfahan’s royal mosque, where the architectural masterpieces of the Safavid dynasty informed his understanding of art and beauty. No place in the world could have provided a better ambiance for the education of a traditional Persian artist. As a child, it was already clear that his life would be devoted to painting.
Ahmadabad & The Chicken House Farshchian’s natural genius was nourished by his family’s deep appreciation for art in all its forms. Farshchian’s family home in the Ahmadabad neighborhood of Isfahan included trees, water fountains, pools, and a section called the Chicken House. His childhood memories of playing with the hens, roosters, pigeons, and sparrows are evident in his masterful depiction of their colors, feathers, and movements. Beyond their physical appearance, Farshchian paid keen attention to their different moods and personalities. “There was this particular white rooster that was so friendly with me,” he remembers.
“I carried food for him in my pocket, and he would push his head into my pocket and eat them.” “When a drop of light falls into the glass of a human soul, what would it create with love?” -M.F.
Home & Family Farshchian’s father Gholamreza was a successful Persian carpet dealer, and the home was furnished with antiques, Cretonne curtains, and many carpets woven by the masters Archang (Ahmad Hartamni) and Mirza. Father would sit, arms crossed, watching in silence for hours as his young son drew the carpets’ lines and patterns. He would just look at me from the corner of his eyes. It was then that I realized the effects of my passion for art in my life. Farshchian’s parents shared a genuine love of God and religion. His mother Zahra would take her children to the Imamzadeh Ismael shrine near their house, where Farshchian would make pencil copies of the shrine’s many paintings of events of Karbala and Ashura. The shrine had a plane tree that was burnt from inside, an image that appears in many of Farshchian’s paintings. A pilgrimage to Karbala in the 1940s affected Farshchian deeply, as revealed in his designs for the new tomb of Imam Hussein decades later.
“I get my art-loving spirit from my father. Although he was a businessman and trader, he admired art….That’s how I developed my passion for art.” -M.F.
Six Months of Darkness At the age of five, Farshchian fell into the courtyard pool and almost drowned. Zahra saved his life by reaching in and pulling him out by his hair. His swirling, circular compositions reflect this harrowing near-death experience. “I have had a brush with death and struck by the evil eye several times in my life.” M.F.
Gholamreza and Zahra were avid readers, and together they amassed a library containing hundreds of rare books and manuscripts. Every Friday, family and friends gathered in the family home to recite The Book of Kings, Saadi, poems, and literary maxims. Once when Farshchian was six years old, he fell and hit his head running upstairs to fetch a Book of Kings from his mother’s reading shelf for his father and their guests. The accident left the young boy completely blind for six months. When the bandages came off, Farshchian experienced a psychedelic rush of colors. His vibrant, rainbow palette reflects his joy upon recovering his sight.
Education: A Young Artist in Golbahar school Farshchian studied with the greatest masters of Persian art and literature in Isfahan. At Golbahar, the prestigious public school he attended, his teachers praised Farshchian’s artistry and encouraged him to study with Haj Mirza Agha Emami, an artist, carpet designer, and giant of Iranian Modernism. Farschian so impressed Haj Mirza with his talent, passion, and humility that he agreed to train the young student.
Haj Mirza Haj Mirza taught Farshchian how to draw a gazelle. “When I got home, I was so excited,” Farshchian recalls. “I stayed up all night and drew about 200 gazelles: big ones, little ones….I felt like something was changing within me.” The next day, he took his portfolio to show the gazelles to Haj Mirza, who could not believe his eyes. He asked if Farshchian had drawn them all by himself or if he had traced them. “No, sir, I’d never do that. I just drew them,” Farshchian answered. Haj Mirza instructed Farshchian to draw a gazelle in his presence. After finishing quickly, Haj Mirza kissed him on the forehead and said, “You’ll become great! Work hard.”
Farshchian became Haj Mirza’s apprentice and continued to draw in pencil for four more years, mostly emulating Timurid and Safavid drawings. Then Farshchian began to study painting. Eventually, the precocious boy was helping carry out the studio’s commissions. The gazelle still holds a special place in Farshchian’s heart and appears throughout his body of work. “I always got a perfect score, 20/20, in drawing, composition, literature, and other abstract lessons. Unfortunately, I was so untalented when it came to math.” -M.F.
School of Fine Arts, Isfahan Farshchian next attended the School of Fine Arts in Isfahan, where he kept the following sentence framed above his desk: “I should become a genius.” He studied miniature painting, drawing inspiration from the designs and tile patterns of Isfahan’s architectural monuments. Farshchian mastered the intricacies of pigments, binding mediums, and prepared his own brushes from white kitten hairs tied into bird quills tools so fine and flexible that he still uses them for delicate passages. Farshchian learned carpet design from the late master Issa Bahadori, who taught “with passion and love.” Farschian’ s artworks were gifted to every celebrity or diplomat who visited Iran. Farschian also passionately studied literature, especially the poetry of Hafiz, Saadi, and Rumi. He and his friends would often attend poetry recitals at the Kamal Ismael Society, the Khakshir Society near the Jame’a Mosque, and the Poets Society behind the Chaharbagh School.
Adulthood: Around the World First Solo Exhibition, 1948 Upon graduation from the School of Fine Arts, Farshchian held his first solo exhibition in 1948 at the Iranian-British Cultural Association’s office in Isfahan.
The Army Like all Iranian boys, he was conscripted into the army at the age of eighteen. In awe of his artistic talent, his comrades and superiors allowed him to skip the drills so he could keep drawing and painting.
Vienna, Munich, & Paris After performing his military service, Farshcian’s hyperpolyglot nature took him on a Grand Tour to absorb Western painting techniques. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Art in Vienna, taking several trips to cities like Munich and Paris. Wherever he went, he would spend all his time at the museum.
“I was so passionate and thirsty….Every morning I would wait outside museums with my papers and pencils, and I’d go inside when they opened the doors, and I kept drawing and drawing….I continued working ‘till late in the afternoon when they wanted to close the doors.” -M.F.
The Years In Between: Ostad Farshchian
The National Institute of Fine Arts, 1961 In 1961 at the age of thirty, Farshchian returned from his European tour to teach at The National Institute of Fine Arts (later The Ministry of Art and Culture).
The Department of National Arts He organized exhibitions at the University of Tehran, where he rose to the position of Director of the Department of National Arts. He also designed carpets and worked so successfully in Syria that one of his vases was presented to Arthur Pope, the famous American scholar of Iranian art.
Istanbul, 1960: first international exhibit Returning from one of his trips to Europe, Farshchian held exhibitions in the Chechen Sotoun Palace Museum in Isfahan, the Golestan Palace Museum, the Ministry of Art and Culture, University of Tehran, and the Museum of Ancient Iran. Farshchian’s first international exhibition was in 1960 in Istanbul, a watershed moment that sparked multiple exhibitions across the globe. His first exhibitions in the USA were in 1972 and 1973.
Istanbul, 1960: first international exhibit Returning from one of his trips to Europe, Farshchian held exhibitions in the Chechen Sotoun Palace Museum in Isfahan, the Golestan Palace Museum, the Ministry of Art and Culture, University of Tehran, and the Museum of Ancient Iran. Farshchian’s first international exhibition was in 1960 in Istanbul, a watershed moment that sparked multiple exhibitions across the globe. His first exhibitions in the USA were in 1972 and 1973.
Family: A Husband & Father Marriage, 1954 Friends since childhood, Mahmoud and Nia married when she was seventeen and he was twenty-four years old and welcomed two, later to become three, children. The first five years of their marriage were monumental for Farshchian’s career, as during this time she encouraged him to pursue his passion in the studio while she tended to the children, leading to his development and refinement of Surrnaturalism, the unique style for which he would be known.
Women Farshchian drew upon his love for Nia as a constant inspiration for his work, and many of his paintings depict beautiful women in paradisiacal settings.
“I mostly draw women as angels in my work. Kind, compassionate women are indeed like angels. They are precious.” -M.F.
The Iranian Revolution, 1979 The 1979 Iranian Revolution and tumultuous years after became a turning point for Farshchian and his family. With many friends arrested, exiled, and fleeing the country, Farshchian made the decision to leave Iran with his wife and children and began to seek out a new home.
His painting entitled “Quo Vadis/Where Are You Going?” describes the feeling that he, and 20 million other Iranians, had as friends disappeared and communities disintegrated during the revolution that would topple the last shah.
A Modern Master America, 1983 Farshchian retired from teaching in 1980 and relocated to America with his family in 1983, settling in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York City. There they raised their children and grandchildren and Farshchian continued to paint and take on projects in the U.S.A. and internationally.
Honors & Awards He is included in Cambridge University’s list of the 2000 outstanding intellectuals of the 21st century and The European Academy of Culture’s Who’s Who in the 21st Century. Farshchian belongs to the Art and Professions Association of Italy and has received numerous awards and honorary memberships from universities and art centers across Europe and the USA.
International Acclaim Farschian’s paintings are in the private collections of H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II of England and Prince Philip, Queen Juliana of Netherlands, Prince Agha Khan, Crown Prince Akihito of Japan, former presidents and prime ministers of the US, France, Italy, Brazil, and India, William Fulbright, Arthur A. Pope; and Michael Jackson, among others.
There have been six books and countless articles published on his work, as he comes to be recognized as playing a decisive role in introducing Iranian art to the international art scene as well as broadening the possibilities and scope of traditional Iranian painting.
The Farshchian Museum In 2001, The Farshchian Museum opened to the public in Isfahan. His works are also permanently installed in Farshchian Hall at The Astan Ghods Razavi Museum and in the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Mashhad. “Art is a sacred matter. It’s a kind of worship. It’s like serving God.” -M.F.
Farewell to Master Mahmoud Farshchian: A Heartfelt Funeral Ceremony in Isfahan
The funeral ceremony for Master Mahmoud Farshchian took place on Sunday evening, August 19, 2025, at the Isfahan School of Fine Arts. The event was attended by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi, along with various officials and members of the public.
The esteemed artist was laid to rest beside the grave of the renowned Iranian poet Saeb Tabrizi.
