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Graphic Design of Three Continents
From 13th January to13th February 2004
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
North Kargar Avenue,
Tehran-Iran.
www.ir-tmca.com
Open Sauterday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm

Spectators and artists are often bridged to unseen words, unique works and novel experiences in visual arts through exhibitions held at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.
Given the exiting gap between Iran and the rest of the world, which is a direct result of the country's unique stance, the museum has assumed a significant role in the realm of art. The museum is a window showcasing what is often overlooked or unavailable. Graphic design is one of these rarities.
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has made tremendous effort to present masterpieces by Iranian and foreign graphic designers over the past few years. The Tehran Graphic Design Biennial as well as other exhibitions are the outcome of these endeavors. The exhibitions have been especially invaluable for students in art schools who have thus been able to view the world's spectacular works in the field. They have also provided them with the opportunity to conduct dialog not only with Iranian designers, but with artists from other countries. To introduce the most conspicuous pieces of art to the Iranian graphic designers and students, the museum has undertaken to organize a series of exhibitions devoted to works by pioneering and prominent artists world over. In the first of the series, works by an Iranian graphic designer have been juxtaposed with the works by four European and American artists.
The exhibition highlights a broad scope of activities carried out by Morteza Momayez during his artistic career. Almost half a century of relentless efforts in education, founding the society of Graphic Designers, and introducing new perspectives in Iranian graphic design are but a few of the services he has rendered to the art community and have secured a high place and international recognition for him. Other four graphic designers have been selected among his contemporaries.

Morteza Momayez does not need introduction. Neither has he been unknown to anyone involved in Iran's art arena for the past half century. His works include graphic design, illustration, photography, painting and installation. The European and American graphic designers whose works have been exhibited are among the most distinguished artists in the word. However, due to space limitations, only a tiny portion of their works are presented here. Seymuor Chwast is one of the cofounders of "Pushpin Studio" in New York. For many years, Milton Glaser, a leading American graphic designer, and Seymour Chwast have astounded many graphic designers worldwide. Even though many years have passed, Chwast's innovative style in producing his posters is still captivating. Anthon Beeke is a leading figure in contemporary graphic design in the Netherlands. Among hundreds of Beeke's works, only his human faces are displayed here. Paula Scher's works which mostly play with letters may interest Iranian graphic designers at the time when they are engrossed in experimenting with them. Ahn Sang-Soo, whose uncanny taste invaluable experiences are greatly influenced by the history of her country, belongs to the South Korea's new generation of artists, in pursuit of its objective to introduce a wide range of graphic designers from around the world, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art hopes to be able to show works by other artists in future exhibitions.

Text by Farshid Mesghali, curator of Three Continents Graphic Design Exhibition

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