Mansoureh Hosseini
“The embodiment of a century”: One Hundred Years of Visual Arts in Iran
(Part Thirteen)
Image Source:
Pioneers of Contemporary Art in Iran, Mansoureh Hosseini, 1383 (2004)
Writer and Director: Amir Soghrati
Research Assistant: Najwa Erfani
Motion Graphics: Masoud Talebani
Text Narrator: Amir Soghrati
Logo Design: Mohammad Fadaei
Editing: Mojtaba Fallahi
Project Manager: Harf-e Honar Studio
Producer: Institute for the Development of Contemporary Visual Arts
Supported by the General Directorate of Visual Arts, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Islamic Republic of Iran
Mansoureh Hosseini and Mahmoud Javadi Pour are among the first individuals to utilize the potential of calligraphy and Persian script in contemporary Iranian painting. and Mahmoud Javadi Pour are among the first individuals to utilize the potential of calligraphy and Persian script in contemporary Iranian painting.
Mansoureh Hosseini, in particular, is one of the first painters to seriously and consistently incorporate calligraphy into her paintings, where lines and abstractions intertwine to form layered compositions. Her works push the boundaries of abstraction with calligraphy, shifting the focus from the aesthetic values of writing to the chromatic values and expressive possibilities of form.
Born on September 1, 1926, in Tehran, Mansoureh Hosseini was a painter, ceramist, art critic, and gallery owner. In her youth, she delved into poetry, which later became a foundation for her storytelling and art criticism. She completed her studies in painting at the Tehran University Faculty of Fine Arts, following which, like Behjat Sadr, Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam, and Parviz Tanavoli, she went to Italy to continue her education.
Behjat Sadr was two years older than Mansoureh Hosseini but enrolled in the Tehran University Faculty of Fine Arts later than her. Mansoureh entered the faculty in 1945, graduating in 1949, and in 1954 went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome to continue her studies.
In her final year of study in Italy in 1958, with the assistance of the Iranian consulate in Rome, Mansoureh Hosseini showcased her works to Leone Venturi, a professor at the University of Rome and a renowned critic of abstract art. Venturi considered her works fifty years behind the contemporary art movement and suggested she incorporate Kufic script into her paintings. From that year onwards, Mansoureh Hosseini began to incorporate calligraphy and script into her paintings.
Although the use of calligraphy in the works of Hossein Zenderoudi, particularly in the Saqqakhaneh style, is more memorable, he showcased his first works influenced by Persian script on October 19, 1961, in Kaboud Gallery. Mansoureh Hosseini, on the other hand, painted “Ali” in 1959 and continued this style throughout her life. Calligraphy in her works takes on an abstract form, with bursts of vibrant colors and flowing shapes, overshadowing the script itself. The lines act as landscapes or twisted figures, intertwined with colors.
Her works were exhibited in the twenty-eighth Venice Biennale in 1956. Two years later, Iranian artists officially participated in the twenty-ninth Venice Biennale in 1958.
In 1964, she joined the Plastic Artists Group of Tehran, founded in Saba Gallery. The group aimed to promote art in Iran, foster collaboration among artists, promote art among the public, and establish international relations and cooperation with administrative and artistic entities. Under this title, the group participated in Tehran Biennials and group exhibitions.
Mansoureh Hosseini began writing critiques in 1967 and taught art criticism at the Faculty of Fine Arts in 1968. She was one of the first serious art critics to start her career under the pseudonym “Dr. Asad” in Ettela’at newspaper, writing sharp and concise art critiques in a biting and courageous language. She should be considered one of the first critical painters in Iran because most pre-revolutionary art critics were writers and journalists, such as Fatemeh Sayyah, Ehsan Yarshater, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Javad Mojabi, and Karim Emami, who addressed visual art from a literary and journalistic perspective.
In 1973, she established her gallery named “Mansoureh Hosseini Gallery” on Golshahr Street in Jordan and showcased her own works and those of Iranian artists.
Mansoureh Hosseini‘s paintings and ceramics have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iran and abroad and have been sold at international auctions.
In the Fourth Iranian Painting Biennial in 1997, she, along with Ahmad Esfandiari, Mahmoud Javadi Pour, and Ali Qahari, was honored. The following year, a retrospective of her works was held at Niavaran Cultural Center.
In 2004, a retrospective exhibition of Mansoureh Hosseini’s and Behjat Sadr’s works was held at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the Pioneer of Iranian Avant-Garde Art series, which had previously been held for artists such as Parviz Tanavoli, Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam, Hossein Zenderoudi, and Masoud Arabshahi.
Although her works were expressive and communicative, they were also filled with joy, exuberance, and grace. Her paintings were dynamic and lively, drawing on the existential dimensions of Iran’s rich culture. A mystical ecstasy and enthusiasm guide the words of her paintings in a dynamic and exhilarating movement towards light and brightness.
Her tragic death in solitude and seclusion on June 29, 2012, was a wake-up call for the Iranian artistic community. Her life’s enduring legacy in painting, ceramics, and art criticism paved the way for generations of artists who will not forget her memories and legacy.
