'In mapping out the history of twentieth century modernity, non-western art can no longer remain relegated to the margins, viewed as derivative and imitative reflection of canonical Western art. This assessment of modern Iranian visual culture from the 1960s and 1970s, published in conjunction with an exhibition at New York University, suggests that modernity in Iran was a creative complex and contested process.

The book examines the expression of Iranian modernity in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, photography, posters and graphic arts. New modes of artistic production are highlighted within an expanding institutional context: developments in Iranian art criticism, exhibition apparatus, education and patronage. The contributors also address changes in the iconography of Iranian art and in the increasingly social role of the artist. Ultimately, these patterns of artistic production influenced the art that accompanied the Iranian Revolution of 1979. This book demonstrates that the visual arts serve as an important record of a critical period in Iranian history.' - excerpted from back cover.