Hour 12:50 01 Sep 25

Parvaneh Etemadi, a pioneering and prominent contemporary painter, was born on February 25, 1948, in Tehran. She is one of the most renowned women in modern Iranian art, who from the beginning, under the supervision of Bahman Mohasses leaned towards abstract structuralism.
Technique: Oil and Cement on Board, UntitledDimensions: 60 × 70 cmLocation: Jahannama Museum
Parvaneh Etemadi (wife of Ruyin Pakbaz, the renowned art historian, critic, and avant-garde painter) an experimental painter -passed away on March 21, 2025, at the age of 78- played a significant role in establishing art history as an academic and scientific discipline in Iran. She chose her artistic path throughout different decades according to her personal mood and vision. She is best known for her still-life paintings, especially those using cement, created in the 1970s.Her artistic periods can be recognized by distinct visual features and recurring patterns in form and subject, and perhaps most importantly, by the materials used in her works. The variety in her art-works across different periods, which involved experimenting with various techniques, reflects her innovative spirit and exploratory nature. Etemadi sought a new and symbolic expression of form. She consistently aimed to select familiar and ordinary objects from everyday life and, through the magic of art, reframe them in a pure, modern, placeless, and timeless space, often using a concise and sometimes poetic language.Another distinctive aspect of Parvaneh Etemadi’s art is her exploration of the potential of various materials throughout her prolific career. Her works can be divided into several periods: the cement and still-life painting period, colored pencil period, fabric, brocade and lace period, and collage period. Her diverse use of materials, from simple colored pencils to cement, demonstrates her creative and daring spirit. As she stated, “I inherited my taste from Bahman Mohasses and my boldness from Jalal-e A’L-e Ahmad.” Nonetheless, she always maintained a special attachment to still life. Flowers, lace and brocade fabrics, and pomegranates have been recurrent motifs throughout all these periods.