Le désir d'avant-garde
In the late 1960s, carried by soaring oil revenues, Iran envisioned itself as a ‘regional centre for the arts and architecture’: the state invited leading Western masters, organised a succession of conferences and competitions, and Queen Farah Diba’s patronage turned architecture into an instrument of political prestige. From this momentum arose a paradox that this book terms the ‘desire for the avant-garde’—a fervent aspiration for progress that imported models already past their prime, whilst preventing a local avant-garde from emerging. Drawing on previously unpublished sources, *The Desire for the Avant-Garde* traces two decisive decades leading up to the 1979 revolution and offers a rare insight into architectural modernity outside the West.
The FMSH is pleased to welcome La Commune publishing house for an evening presentation of the book Le désir d'avant-garde.
During this event, the author of the book, Sina Abédi, will present his work and discuss it with architect and writer Richard Scoffier.
After the presentation, you will have the opportunity to ask our guests any questions you may have.
Le désir d'avant-garde
In the late 1960s, buoyed by soaring oil revenues, Iran experienced spectacular prosperity and envisaged itself as a ‘regional centre for the arts and architecture’. The state invited the leading Western architects, organised numerous international journals, conferences and competitions, whilst Queen Farah Diba’s patronage turned architecture into an instrument of prestige and political legitimacy. From Tehran to Isfahan, a generation of Iranian architects collaborated with masters from America and Europe, working on projects ranging from mass housing to the restoration of historic sites.
From this momentum arose a paradox that this book terms ‘the desire for the avant-garde’: a fervent aspiration for progress that imported Western ideas already past their prime, whilst failing to allow a genuinely local avant-garde to emerge. Isfahan became the symbol of this, torn between the preservation of its Persian gardens and the arrival of gigantic industrial complexes.
Drawing on previously unpublished sources and a wealth of illustrations, *The Desire for the Avant-Garde* traces two decisive decades, right up to their upheaval with the 1979 revolution. Looking beyond the Iranian case alone, it offers a rare reflection on architectural modernity outside the West.
Sina Abedi, born in Isfahan, Iran, holds a PhD in architecture and is a lecturer, researcher and cultural entrepreneur. A graduate of the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Versailles and holder of a PhD in architecture from the Université Paris-Est, he is an associate researcher at the IPRAUS laboratory (Paris Institute for Research in Architecture, Urban Planning and Society) at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-Belleville. He is also the Executive Director for France of the Franco-Chinese MAGE Chair (Metropolises and Architecture of Major Events). Alongside his academic activities, Sina Abedi is actively involved in the cultural sector and heads several organisations dedicated to interdisciplinary artistic creation and intercultural exchange. He is also a trustee of the National Foundation for Fine Arts.
Richard Scoffier is an architect, critic and theorist. He founded his practice after winning the Albums de la Jeune Architecture award, and his notable projects include the Étouvie Music Centre in Amiens and the Maison des associations in the 18th arrondissement. A tenured professor at the ENSA schools in Versailles and Paris-Val de Seine from 1992 to 2023, he has been running the Université populaire at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal since 2011. The author of over four hundred articles and several books, including *Les quatre concepts fondamentaux de l’architecture contemporaine* (The Four Fundamental Concepts of Contemporary Architecture), he was awarded the Médaille de l’analyse architecturale by the Académie d’architecture in 2015.
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