At the beginning of my speech, I would like to point out the matter that was very interesting for me in my research, and surely it will be interesting for the dear reader as well.
There is no record indicating who the prehistoric artists were, but many studies conducted by early anthropologists and cultural anthropologists show that women were often the primary artisans in Neolithic cultures, where they created pottery, textiles, basketry, surface painting and jewelry. Also, they commonly cooperated on big projects.
Paleolithic artifacts examination shows that these cultures followed similar patterns. The cave paintings of this era are often handmade, 75% of which can be identified as female works.
A closer look at the presence of women in art history indicates the significant participation of women over the centuries in different countries. Their presence has manifested in many forms, including innovation in techniques and their roles as activists, patrons, collectors, sources of inspiration,art historians, and critics.
Since ancient times, women have made significant contributions to art history. However, despite the daily interaction of women with various forms of art, they mostly faced opposition in traditional art fields. More precisely, women face various challenges due to gender bias.
These problems include the lack of educational facilities, various problems in selling and offering in the market and non-recognition of their artworks. So we may wonder how women have been able to declare themselves as such a loud voice in art and art history.
In Iran, whenever a woman became famous in an artistic field and her works were sold well in the market, her success was attributed to the men around her. In the early 1960s, feminist movements that fought for equal rights in all areas of society led to a dramatic increase in the number of female students and teachers teaching art in schools around the world. These schools are considered the main sites for the feminist activities because they developed the representation of women in galleries and museums.
In addition, the “Women’s movement in Art” initiated multiple theories and different artistic practices that led to a reshaping of what could be achieved in galleries and beyond, thus, the general conditions was facilitated for the majority of female artists in practice.
Iranian female artists due to the lack of access to artistic education, professional networks, and exhibition opportunities, have faced different degrees of various challenges arising from the geographical location of their residence. In the former very traditional society in Iran, female artists were asked to protect the privacy of their homes by stopping activity instead of developing and presenting their talents in society.
Men were responsible for selling women’s artworks. The Iranian female artists produced magnificent works at home and it was a pity that women were deprived of the opportunity to create collections in their own name, because they were considered lesser than men and their successes were usually attributed to men.
Although female artists have played a role in creating art throughout history, their works have often been neglected and undervalued compared to their male counterparts. Nevertheless, Iranian women have always been pioneers in social transformation.
Brave woman fought to have equal rights and did not remain silent against oppression. The unique power of Iranian women has always been reflected in all aspects of Iran’s conditions including cultural, socio-political, and economic ones.
Contemporary Iranian female artists have been pioneers in recording daily life in Iran and messengers of creative expression through art. Here we introduce only a few Iranian female artists who represent a wide range of meanings from beauty and elegance in Iranian culture to flexibility and female strength using their powerful art.
Remember that many of the most prominent contemporary artists from Iran were women. While today’s Iranian laws about women are “medieval”, Iranian women are a powerful cultural (and political) force. Iranian artistic and cultured women in different periods of the turbulent history of the country have always tried to be effective and appear equal to men despite the traditional views, the ever-present pressures in a male-dominated society and other restrictions. In the following, we will become familiar with women who were pioneers and have recorded the first cultural and artistic events in their names.
Shams Jahan Kasmai, the first female poet in modernist poetry style (1882-1961)
Mrs. Kasmai was born into a Georgian family in Yazd. She lived in Azerbaijan for a while and published her poems in Azadistan magazine after she returned to Iran. In addition to being a poet, she was also active in women’s liberation struggles during the constitutional period.
Bibi Fatemeh Astarābādi, the first female satirist and founder of girls’ primary school (1895-1921)
Bibi Fatemeh Astarābādi was the first female satirist, who became more known after writing the MAʿĀYEB AL-REJĀL (“Faults of men”), in response to Tadib al-Nasa’s writing. Before that, she wrote articles about women and her first article was published in 1946 in Tamdon newspaper.
Maryam Amid ( Mozayan ol-Saltaneh), founder of the first illustrated magazine for women
Mrs. Amid published the first women’s illustrated magazine called Shekoufeh in 1919. The first four pages of the magazine were published with Naskh script and lithographic printing and Nastaliq script and lead printing were used from page 5 onwards. She died in Semnan in 1958. Maryam Amid, nicknamed Mozayan ol-Saltaneh was the first to establish a school for girls and later published a magazine that was managed by a woman for the first time in the history of Iran.
Fakhr Afaq, journalist to be exiled (Born in 1898)
The first female journalist to be exiled was born in Tehran. After getting married in Mashhad, she succeeded in publishing the Jahle- Zanan magazine. As the protests against Qawam al-Saltaneh increased, the governor of Khorasan exiled her to Tehran.
After a while, she published this magazine in Tehran, but its fifth issue was the last one. She published an article about the equality of boys and girls in education that caused strong protests and she was exiled to Qom. But she didn’t stop her activities.
Qamar al-Muluk Vaziri was the first woman to go on stage without the hijab (Islamic dress code for women) (1905-1959)
She was the first Iranian female singer to sing in front of men on a public stage, and she was the first woman who went on stage without the hijab. The first concert of Qamar was performed in 1924 at the Grand Hotel on Lalehzar Street and she performed the ballad (Tasnif) Morghe Sahar, composed by Morteza Ney Davood.
- Parvin Etesami, the first librarian (1906-1941)
She was the first Iranian female artist and librarian. Although she is known as a famous poet, she is also recorded as the first female librarian.
- Moluk Zarabi, the first Iranian female composer in contemporary history (1907-1999)
Moluk Zarabi is the oldest Iranian singer and the first female contemporary composer. She was born in Kashan and started her artistic activities in 1923. She filled more than 300 records during her singing carrier.
Clara Abkar, the first female Miniature Painter of Iran (1923-1996)
Clara Abkar is the first female miniature painter of Iran. She was born into an Armenian family in Isfahan. She studied at the superior art school of Honarhaye Ziba, and her miniature paintings featured horse riding scenes, inanimate nature, flowers, and Khayyam’s and Attar Neishabouri’s tombs. She was a miniaturist and a gilder, and she never sold her works.
Mrs. Irandokht Teymourtash, the first Iranian female journalist abroad and recipient of the Legion of Honor (1916-1991)
Mrs. Teymourtash was born in Kashmar and grew up in Tehran. She was the first Iranian female journalist abroad. She received the Legion of Honor medal from the state of France for her cultural activities and was the first Iranian woman to receive such a recognition from the state of France.
Tousi Haeri Mazandarani, the first female radio announcer (1917-1996)
The first female radio announcer was born in Mashhad. She received a PhD in French literature from the University of Sorbonne and started working in radio as a female announcer in the early 40s because of her beautiful voice and higher education. She married Ahmad Shamlou in 1956, but they divorced. Tousi Haeri was a writer, translator and the first female announcer of “National Radio of Iran”.
- Shams al-Zoha, Neshat, the first female holder of the technical gold medal from Harvard university (born in 1918)
She was the daughter of Haj Mirza Safi Alishah, a philosofer and head of the Shah Nemattollah Darwīshes (members of a Sufi fraternity). She received the technical gold medal and certificate from Harvard University because of her paintings and she also obtained other accolades in the USA and Belgium.
Leili Taghipour, the first children’s’ book illustrator woman, among the first painters and the first woman graduated from college of Fine Arts (1920-2001).
Leili Taghipour The first female Iranian graphic designer was born in Mashhad. She completed her course of studies in Fine Arts College in 1946 and was responsible for the graphic designing of books for 1, 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-year-olds before the Islamic revolution.
Simin Daneshvar, the first female contemporary novelist (1921-2011)
Mrs. Daneshvar was born in Shiraz. She published her first story collection in 1948 and married the writer Jalal Al-Ahmed two years after the publication of her book. After finishing her studies at Stanford university, she returned to Iran in 1959, was employed by the University of Tehran and continued working there till 1979.
- Loreta Hairapedian, the first female Iranian theater artist, (1926-1998)
The first female Iranian theater artist was born in Zargandeh, Tehran. She was the first Iranian woman to start acting professionally.
- Shahla Riahi, the first female film director (born in 1926)
The first Iranian female director was 17 years old when she started stage acting. She started her film career in 1951. The movie Marjan in 1956, was the first movie that she directed and played an actress role in.
Fakhereh Saba, the first Iranian female founder of the singing class (1927-2007)
She is the first Iranian woman to establish a singing class with Mrs. Evlin Baghtcheban. She completed her studies in the field of opera and opera-comique at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris.
Zhaleh Olov, the first Iranian female dubber (born in 1927)
Mrs. Olov graduated from the Preparatory Academy of Tehran in 1947 and started her career in theater a year later. She started dubbing in 1952. She has also acted in many radio dramas.
- Lily (Iman) Ahi, the first female member of the Supreme Council of Culture (1929-2018)
This artist was fluent in French, English, and Russian languages. She was one of the Children’s Book Council founders in 1962 and during her career, she published numerous articles on children’s education and teaching methods in elementary school books.
Mrs. Lilit Terian, the first sculptor and female master at the decorative Arts University (born in 1930)
Mrs. Terian was born into an Armenian family in Tehran and completed her elementary school in the same city. She went to Paris to continue her studies in 1949 and after graduation, she started teaching in universities of Iran.
- Nadereh Anwar, the first academic photographer (1932-1983)
Nadereh Anwar was the first woman to start taking photographs professionally while enjoying academic education. She was born in Tehran. After she graduated from the art school, she went to Britain to continue her studies and then traveled to Germany to study at the Cologne Academy of Photography.
Masoumeh Seyhoun, the first female gallerist (1934-2010)
Masoumeh Sihoun, the first Iranian female gallery owner, graduated from the Fine Arts College of Tehran University. He founded Seyhoun Gallery in 1966.
Mansoureh Hosseini, the first female potter, inventor of a new style in painting (Born in1936)
The inventor of a new style of a painting consisting in combination of calligraphy and painting, and the first female potter, was born in Tehran. She finished her studies in Rome and was invited to Iran. She held her first exhibition in 1959.
- Victoria Ohanjanian, the first female architect
Mrs. Ohanjanian was born in Tabriz and is the first female architect in Iran to work in the Ministry of Housing and Urban engineering.
Mrs. Evlin Baghcheban, the founder of the first singing class
Mrs. Baghcheban, Mrs. Fakhereh Saba and Monireh Vakili were the first women to establish an academic and international singing class in Iran. Evlin was 21 years old at the time. She and Mrs. Fakhereh Saba were among Tehran Opera’s founders.
- Sima Kouban, the first female director responsible for publication after the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978 (1939-2012)
The first female director responsible for publication was born in Tehran after the revolution. She went to Belgium to continue her studies. After many years of hard work, she was able to get permission to publish Cheragh magazine in 1981.
Parvin Teymouri, the first Iranian female Animator
The first Iranian female animator graduated in 1983 from Fine Arts College. The film of life presented in Children’s Festival in 1988 was the first Iranian animation produced based on scientific principles and was shown worldwide.
- Farideh Khalatbari, the first female publisher after the Islamic revolution in Iran (Born in 1947)
Mrs. Khalatbari is the first female publisher after the revolution who went to England after finishing high school. She completed a PhD program in International Management Studies and after returning to Iran, she worked in her specialized field for a while, but with the victory of the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1980, she registered the Ketabsara publications and then the Shabaviz publications in 1984.
Ariana the first music therapist (born in 1953)
Mrs. Ariana was born in Tehran and is the first woman to learn music therapy and for the first time, she held a music therapy concert for a group of disabled children supported by the welfare organization.
- Mokarameh Ghanbari, painter, the first Iranian woman elected in 2001 (1928-2005)
Mrs. Ghanbari was born in Babol. Because of her artistic activities, she was elected the chosen woman by Sweden in 2001. She started painting on paper at the age of 70.
The current status of Iranian female artists
From my point of view, the status of women in art is still not as clear as some people think because of social changes. When I look at the female painters behind the canvas, I would say that there have been many changes compared to the women of the Qajar period, who were completely deleted from the art sphere and left out of the artistic associations controlled by men.
I believe that the necessary changes are being made very slowly. Perhaps this is due to the traditions and rules that many arts galleries value.
However, change is happening, and I think that if Iranian female artists endure all the barriers and anti-feminist thoughts and continue to remove the boundaries, they can be at the forefront of art scene the same as men and definitely better than them.
I hope to see this realized soon.
Author: AMIR SHARIFI
