Modern Iran and the Avant-Gardes, 1948–78 explores how the complex cultural tensions of this period led to artistic innovation. As Iran became modern, modernism became distinctly Iranian. Iranian artists created a unique form of modernism that addressed the tension between commitments to innovate and an engagement with traditional Iranian ideas and cultural forms.

Modern Iran and the Avant-Gardes, 1948–78 explores how the complex cultural tensions of this period led to artistic innovation. As Iran became modern, modernism became distinctly Iranian. Iranian artists created a unique form of modernism that addressed the tension between commitments to innovate and an engagement with traditional Iranian ideas and cultural forms.

Lavishly illustrated, this publication features thirty artists who worked during the pivotal period between 1948 and 1978 and practised in a range of media from painting and sculpture to printmaking, drawing and architecture. Featuring an introductory essay by exhibition curator Pantea Haghighi that surveys the range of artistic and political influences on the emergence of Iranian modernisms and a selection of focused essays by scholars and curators Fereshteh Daftari, Davood Madadpoor, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ali Bakhtiari, Modern Iran and the Avant- Gardes, 1948–78 is a timely addition to the scholarship on both alternative modernisms and the history of Iranian art.

Featured Artists: Hossein Amanat, Massoud Arabshahi, Siah Armajani, Iran Darroudi, Kamran Diba, Seyed Mohammad Ehsaey, Parvaneh Etemadi, Abdol-Aziz Farmanfarmaian, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Mansour Ghandriz, Marcos Grigorian, Nahid Hagigat, Farideh Lashai, Reza Mafi, Leyly Matine-Daftary, Sirak Melkonian, Ardeshir Mohasses, Bahman Mohasses, Nicky Nodjoumi, Ruyin Pakbaz, Faramarz Pilaram, Behjat Sadr, Abolghassem Saidi, Sohrab Sepehri, Houshang Seyhoun, Masoumeh Seyhoun, Jazeh Tabatabai, Parviz Tanavoli, Mohsen Vaziri-Moghaddam, Hossein Zenderoudi, Jalil Ziapour.