Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri, known for blending Western and Iranian consumer culture, dies at 61

Farhad Moshiri, the Iranian artist whose glittering works examined consumer culture across Western and Iranian contexts, has died at age 61. His Dubai gallery, The Third Line, announced the news. Born in Shiraz, Iran, Moshiri moved to the United States with his family during the Iranian Revolution, studying at the California Institute of the Arts before returning to Tehran in 1991. He first gained recognition for large-scale 'jar' paintings, executed in oil and acrylic with chemically induced cracked textures that referenced pre-Islamic Persian pottery. Later, his practice expanded to incorporate sequins, crystals, beads, and gold leaf in playful, sparkling compositions featuring cartoon characters and everyday scenes. These works, which earned him comparisons to Andy Warhol, critically engaged with popular culture in both Iran and the West. His art is held in major international collections, including The British Museum in London, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, the François Pinault Collection at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the Sharjah Art Foundation, and The Farjam Foundation in Dubai.