INFORMATION FOR
Paintings and prints by the internationally renowned Iranian artist Mahmoud Farshchian will be on view in the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University in Wayne from March 23 through April 23, 2010. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The exhibit is being held in conjunction with the University’s inaugural Cross-Cultural Arts Festival from March 23 to 28, which celebrates the wide range of cultures among countries in the Middle East with a variety of events, including musical performances, art exhibits, and film series.
Farshchian, who is considered one of Iran’s greatest artists, is known for his distinctive style, with are based on themes cultivated from classic poetry, literature, the Koran, Christian and Jewish holy books, as well as his own deep imagination. Many of his works are based on human affections and moods, which appear most effectively in graceful faces and figures.
While painting, Farshchian often listens to music and these beautiful rhythms set the mood for his bounding, splashing, sometimes wire-thin brush. There is a rich interplay of gentle sounds: birdcalls, trickles, cascades, gurgles, swoops, and swooshes.
Born in Isfahan, Iran in 1930, Farshchian’s talent was evident by age five. While still in school, he was invited to learn painting from the famous masters of the time. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Isfahan, he traveled to Europe to study the works of Western artists. Upon his return to Iran, Farshchian served as the director of Department of National Arts in the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Arts and was a professor at the College of Fine Arts of University of Tehran. He is a member of Academia Europea and Academia Italia Delle Arti e Del Lavoro.
Farshchian later moved to the United States and currently resides in the New York metropolitan area. His works are held in numerous collections, including those of Queen Elizabeth II of England, the National Art museum of Iran, the Art Museum of Istanbul, Turkey, and continue to be exhibited in galleries and museums throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.
The exhibit was organized by Zora Agheli Kassaii ‘82, president of Rush Graphics in Hawthorne, who has published two monographs on the work of Farshchian.
William Paterson University’s Cross-Cultural Arts Festival–Middle East was developed by the University’s College of the Arts and Communication with assistance from the New Jersey Arab-American Heritage Commission, the New Jersey-Israel Commission, the City of Paterson, and the Muna and Basem Hishmeh Foundation.
The exhibit is one of three shows on view concurrently in the Ben Shahn Galleries. In the South Gallery is “One Thousand and One Nights: The Narrative Tradition in Contemporary Middle Eastern Art,” an exhibit of contemporary paintings and artist’s books which is also on view in conjunction with the Cross-Cultural Arts Festival. “Objects of Power: Selections from the Joan and Gordon Tobias Collection of African Art,” on view in the Court Gallery, draws on the University’s 700-object collection of African sculpture, masks, jewelry, dress, baskets, and decorative objects.
This exhibit is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Ben Shahn Galleries are wheelchair-accessible. Large-print handouts are available. For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University, 973-720-2654.
