Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam

Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam, born in Tehran in 1924, was a painter, sculptor, teacher, writer, and translator, and is considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Iran. He was one of the first graduates of the Fine Arts Faculty (formerly Decorative Arts) in 1948 and served as its dean from 1969 to 1976. After completing his studies in 1955, he went to Italy and received a diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Vaziri Moghaddam can be considered a pioneer in many dimensions beyond abstract art. For example, he can be credited for organizing a group street exhibition that invited the general public to view works of art right in the heart of Tehran on the metal railings of Café Municipality, or the current Daneshjoo Park. This move by Vaziri Moghaddam can be considered one of the first steps by artists to bring life to the ideal of "art for all" in Iran, which took place shortly after the beginning of the Pop Art movement by Warhol and his colleagues on an international level. Among the most important collections of Vaziri Moghaddam's works are his sand art collection and his sculptures.

Vaziri Moghaddam's sand works are significant because, unlike the prevailing trend of the time, which was focused on Saqqakhaneh  and the rediscovery of Iran's decorative art heritage, they did not have any intentional references to Iran's past art. In a way, these works refer internally to the artwork itself. It seems that in these works, Vaziri Moghaddam made a giant leap beyond decorative art, which was the focus of teaching at the Faculty of Decorative Arts at that time, and placed his works and path in line with European art. Vaziri Moghaddam also had a special relationship with classical music, and this relationship became so strong in him that he created this collection to recover his past dreams of becoming a professional musician. In this regard, he writes in his memoirs: "I wanted to be an outstanding violinist and even one day be able to play like Jascha Heifetz, the great violinist. But I started late [...] Years later, when I started sand painting in Italy, it seemed to me that the fingers that practiced the most difficult techniques on the violin strings had been transferred to the sand! The same sand under which my dream of becoming a violinist was buried..." To pay homage to this art that he loved so much, while he was in his third year of study at the faculty, he organized a concert of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra at the faculty, creating a major event. His sculptures were also among the first moving volumes that engaged the viewer.

Vaziri Moghaddam also made a significant contribution to introducing modern art in Iran through his teachings and writings, and has left behind important and valuable books on art education. His books, "Design Methods 1 and 2," have been printed 22 times so far and are still considered one of the most important sources for teaching design to art students. He has also left behind a very valuable work in the field of translation: "The Thought and Work of Paul Klee" by Werner Haftmann, which was first published by Soroush Publications in 1999, is an educational and analytical book about the world of art. Vaziri spent several years on this translation to maintain fidelity to the original text and make it technically understandable. His other book, "Memoirs," was written by himself in the last years of his life when he had lost one eye and was published by Nazar Publications in 2018, the same year this great artist passed away.

Saadat Afzood