Mahmoud Farshchian was born on January 24, 1930, in the city of Isfahan, Iran.

Farshchian’s father, Gholamreza, was a Persian carpet merchant. His mother, Zahra, would often take Farshchian and his siblings to the Immamzadeh Ismael in Isfahan

Farshchian’s childhood home had an area called the Chicken House, where he played with birds like sparrows, hens, and roosters. Birds are an element Farshchian often uses in his pieces, relating to his childhood memories.

Young Mahmoud showed an interest in arts quite early in life and studied under the tutelage of Haji Mirza-Agha Emami and Isa Bahadori for several years.

After receiving his diploma from Isfahan’s High School for the Fine Arts, Farshchian left for Europe, where he studied the works of the great Western masters of painting. He has a doctorate (grade 1 in arts) in Iranian painting and Islamic arts from the High Council of Culture and Art.

Upon his return to Iran, he began to work at the National Institute of Fine Arts (which later became the Ministry of Art and Culture) and, in time, was appointed director of the Department of National Arts and professor at the university of Tehran’s School of Fine Arts.

In the 1950s, he taught at Jalil Ziapour’s School of Decorative Arts for Boys (Persian: Honarestān-e honarhā-ye zibā-ye pesarān) in Tehran.

One of his students was painter Faramarz Pilaram.

Farshchian’s first independent exhibit was in 1948, at the Iranian-British Cultural Association’s office in Isfahan. His first exhibit outside of Iran took place in Istanbul, Turkey in 1960, while his earliest exhibitions in the United States date back to 1972 and 1973.

Farshchian has been exhibited in 57 individual shows and 86 group shows in Iran, Europe, America and Asian countries. His works are represented in several museums and major collections worldwide. He has been awarded more than ten prizes by various art institutes and cultural centers.

“The Museum of Master Mahmoud Farshchian”, is a museum devoted to the works of the master, which has been set up by the Cultural Heritage Foundation in the Sa’dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran, inaugurated in 2001.

The design of the Zarih (the box-like latticed enclosure which is placed on top of the tomb), roof, door and cellar in the shrine of the 8th shiite Imam, Ali ibn Mus’ar-Reza in Mashhad and his membership in the committee supervising the construction of the shrine, is another artistic work of the master.

Farshchian’s pieces in private collections have included Prince Akihito of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and even Michael Jackson.

UNESCO publishes selected paintings of Farshchian

UNESCO has published the selected paintings of Farshchian in Germany in 1991. The collection features 113 artworks of the prominent artist. The Master has presented the book “to all people of good will in the world” in introduction with 36 languages.

The global cultural body also published the selected paintings of the master in 2003 in Italy. Then Director-General of UNESCO Koïchiro Matsuura wrote an introduction for the priceless collection that consisted of 97 works of art.

Once he said in an interview that, “Iranian people love culture and I try to tell everybody in the world that Iran is the land of peace and friendship”.

Master miniaturist Mahmud Farshchian created “The Evening of Ashura” both to depict one of the greatest tragedies for Muslims and to represent the power of art in expressing major events of history.

The masterpiece portrays the helpless household of Imam Hussein (AS), mourning after his horse returns from the battlefield without him. Their deep grief for their beloved has been depicted perfectly in this Persian miniature painting.

He is recognized as the most important modernizing influence in miniatures. His name has been registered on Britain’s list of 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century, and collectors feel it a great honor to possess one of his creations.

Compiled by Marzieh Rahmani