Less than 10 minutes into my interview with Her Majesty Farah Pahlavi, she has already mentioned
serving the people of Iran twice. First, to explain her reasons behind pursuing architecture at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris in 1957 – “It meant building for the
people. Not just in terms of houses, but for a society.” And second, when I ask what inspired her cultural contribution to Iran – “My country is so culturally rich, I wanted to protect what we have historically for the people. We can’t only live in the past and I wanted to support the young Contemporary artists for future generations.” And so she did, primarily by encouraging private businesses, individuals and government entities to build collections and publish books. “In every way we could,”she says. “The Ministry of Culture didn’t have the resources, due to their numerous responsibilities, and in Iran, those who had the means helped in building hospitals and orphanages, which was wonderful. Slowly, they began to acquire art and orient towards culture.”
Calling for Culture
Fifty years since she married the late Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the seeds that Her Majesty sowed into the Iranian Contemporary art field continue to bear fruit. Big names she had patronised, such as Charles Hossein Zenderoudi (Canvas 5.5), Bahman Mohasses, Farama… >>>
