Modern Iran and the Avant-Gardes: 1948–78

Book talk explores the nuances between tradition and modernity in Iran

By: Nejdana Houshyar, Peak Associate On Friday, May 29, guest curator Pantea Haghighi, along with Iranian architect and artist Hossein Amanat, and scholar Jeff Derksen, came together at the Vancouver Art Gallery to discuss their contributions and the historical backgrounds behind the newly released book, Modern Iran and the Avant-Gardes: 1948–78. The talk focused around Amanat’s design of the Shahyad Tower, or the Azadi Tower, which is widely known as the “Gateway Into Iran,” while Derksen dove into his research on the “dynamic dialogue between tradition and modernism.” The rise of modernism — the 20th century movement in arts that…

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