Mahmoud Farshityan was born on January 24, 1930 in the city of Isfahan, Iran.
Farshitian’s father, Gholamreza, was a Persian rug merchant. His mother, Zahra, often took Farsian and his siblings to Imamzadeh Ismael in Isfahan.
Farcian’s childhood home included an area called the henhouse, where he played with sparrows, hens, roosters, and other birds. Birds are an element that Falcien frequently uses in his works in connection with childhood memories.
Young Mahmoud showed interest in art quite early in life and studied for several years under the guidance of Haji Mirza Agha Emami and Isa Bahadri.
After receiving his diploma from the High School of Fine Arts in Isfahan, Farsian headed to Europe, where he studied the works of the great masters of Western painting. He holds a PhD in Iranian Painting and Islamic Art (Grade 1 in Fine Arts) from the High Council for Culture and the Arts.
Upon his return to Iran, he began working at the National Institute of Fine Arts (later to become the Ministry of Arts and Culture) and was eventually appointed head of the National Faculty of Fine Arts and professor at the University of Tehran. of art.
In the 1950s, he taught at the Jalil Ziapur School of Decorative Arts (Persian: Honaresān-e honarhā-ye zibā-ye pesarān) in Tehran.
One of his students was the painter Faramaruthu Pillaram.
Farshchian’s first independent exhibition took place in 1948 at the offices of the Iranian British Cultural Society in Isfahan. His first exhibition outside Iran was in 1960 in Istanbul, Turkey, and his first exhibitions in the United States date back to 1972 and 1973.
Farshitian has been exhibited in 57 solo exhibitions and 86 group exhibitions in Iran, Europe, America and Asian countries. His work is exhibited in several museums and major collections around the world. He has received more than ten awards from various arts institutions and cultural centers.
The Mahmoud Farshityan Museum of Masters is a museum dedicated to the works of masters established by the Cultural Heritage Foundation in the Sadabad Cultural Complex in Tehran, and opened in 2001.
Design of the zari (box-like lattice enclosure placed over the tomb), roof, door, and crypt in the shrine of Ali ibn Musar Reza, the eighth Shia Imam of Mashhad, and his members. The commission overseeing the construction of the shrine is another work of art of the master.
Falcien’s personal collection includes Prince Akihito of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and even Michael Jackson.
UNESCO releases selected Farcian paintings
UNESCO published Selected Paintings of the German Farsians in 1991. The collection includes 113 works by this renowned artist. The Master presented this book in the preface in 36 languages ”to all people of good will throughout the world.”
In 2003, the World Cultural Organization published a selection of the master’s paintings in Italy as well. UNESCO Director-General at the time, Koichiro Matsuura, wrote an introduction to this precious collection of 97 works of art.
He once said in an interview, “Iranians love culture, and I am trying to convey to people all over the world that Iran is a country of peace and friendship.”
Master miniaturist Mahmoud Farshityan created The Evening of Ashura to depict one of the greatest tragedies for Muslims and to express the power of art to represent major events in history.
This masterpiece depicts a helpless family grieving after Imam Hussein’s (AS) horse returns from the battlefield. Their deep sorrow for their loved ones is perfectly captured in this Persian miniature painting.
He is known as the most important influence on the modernization of miniatures. His name is included in the list of Britain’s 2000 Greatest Intellectuals of the 21st Century, and collectors feel privileged to own his work.
Edited by Marji Rahmani