Farhad Moshiri: Iran's 'most important contemporary artist' dies at 61

Tributes paid to mixed media artist who was strongly influenced by pop art and traditional Iranian craftsmanship

Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri has combined various styles from the east and west in his work. Photo: Getty Images

Farhad Moshiri has been remembered as Iran's “most important contemporary artist” and a “true magician” following his death at the age of 61.

Primarily known for his mixed-media practices in painting, assemblage, sculpture and more, Moshiri's technical prowess took inspiration from both eastern and western traditions and art practices.

His death was announced by The Third Line gallery, which represented the artist. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Farhad Moshiri on Tuesday, 17th July 2024,” it posted on Instagram.

“Our journey with Moshiri began in 2006 with New Paintings by Farhad Moshiri at our first space in the UAE. Since then, we’ve cherished witnessing his ever-evolving practice.

“Our thoughts are with his family. Farhad Moshiri will be deeply missed, remembered as both a friend and artist. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

Born in 1963 in Shiraz, Iran, Moshiri studied fine arts at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California in the 1980s and received and MFA from the same institute in 1984 before moving back to Tehran in 1991. It was during his years at university that Moshiri first began experimenting with installations, video art and painting.

From the start of his career, Moshiri became known for his ironic blend of traditional Iranian forms with the ways in which popular global culture appeared in Iran.

“Farhad Moshiri is undoubtedly the most important contemporary artist from Iran in the years that followed the revolution – and, one of the most important from the region as a whole,” Sotheby’s director for Middle Eastern and contemporary art Ashkan Baghestani told The National.

“He not only established the first wave of contemporary art post 1979, but also became one of the rare artists who radically, and successfully, brought all of the great craftsmanship, iconography and storytelling inherent in Persian culture and history into his contemporary practice. The breadth, diversity and scope of his output in this sense was unparalleled.”

Moshiri’s unique style was greatly inspired by pop art and conceptualism. While that led to western media often referring to the artist as the “Middle East's Andy Warhol”, that moniker failed to capture the breadth of his work.

Pop art, which began in the 1950s and 1960s drew inspiration from popular consumer goods, advertisements, celebrities, comic books and other facets of mainstream popular culture. Conceptual art, on the other hand, was in some ways a reaction to pop art emerging in the 1960s and 1970s. The ethos of conceptual art prioritised the idea or concept behind a work of art over the traditional aesthetics or the technical craftsmanship of the art.

Moshiri took both these movements, fusing highbrow imagery with American pop consumer culture and reinterpreted them with elements of traditional Persian craftsmanship to create powerful works with rich concepts.

While his practice contained strong decorative and embellished elements through his use of materials such as beads, glitter and diamonds, there were always strong concepts and a narrative behind his work.

From addressing immediate issues of his homeland while playing with formal concepts in art making and acknowledging the appeal and influence of the West, Moshiri’s work speaks to audiences regionally and internationally.

Baghestani remembers Moshiri as a thoughtful and diverse artist who wasn’t afraid to experiment. Moshiri’s jar series from the mid 1990s, was a prime example. It included sculptural Iranian clay vessels in earth tones, patinas and weather textures. Other works incorporated poetry, calligraphy, embroidery and tapestry.

“He tried so many different things, explored so many different avenues, collaborated with so many other artists, and to me, was a true magician that will remain one of the greats,” Baghestani adds.

“His art speaks to such a wide audience. He transcended barriers both in terms of the richness of his imagery and in terms of his market. It would be hard to find another artist in the region who has been so widely admired and collected not only by local audiences but also internationally.”

Moshiri’s first solo museum exhibition, Go West, opened at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in October 2017. Since then he had other solo exhibitions in Austria, New York, Seoul and Dubai.

His works are housed in various collections including The British Museum in London; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha; the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in USA and the Francois Pinault Collection in Venice.