Tehran`s Malek Museum to set up Iranian painter Kamalolmolk section

TEHRAN,Oct.29(MNA) -- The Malek Museum and Library planned to set up a new section, which will put on display a number of works of the Qajar era painter Mohammad Ghaffari, known as Kamalolmolk, and his descendants. Ten paintings by the artist along with eight works by members of the Ghaffari family, who are Kamalolmolk’s descendants, will be showcased in the section in the near future. In addition, visitors will have access to images of over 100 works by the painter through monitors, which will be set up in the section. The original versions of the paintings are on display at the Golestan Museum and the cultural historical complexes of Niavaran and Sadabad. Born in Kashan, Mohammad Ghaffari (1847-1940) left his homeland and was admitted to Dar-ul-Fonun, the Iranian polytechnic institute established in 1851. Qajar king Nasser ad-Din Shah (1831–1896) saw one of his works at Dar-ul-Fonun and took him to the royal court and dubbed him first Naqqashbashi (Master of Painters) and then Kamalolmolk (Excellence of the Country). Over the years that he lived in the court, Kamalolmolk created 170 works. Only “Mirror Hall” of the collection carries his signature. The masterpiece depicts a hall of the Golestan Palace. He left Iran for Europe in order to raise his knowledge of art after Nasser ad-Din Shah died in an assassination. He made copies from works of Rubens, Titian and Rembrandt during his sojourn in Europe. Kamalolmolk translated some of works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and several French writers into Persian after he returned home. He was forced into exile in an abandoned village near Neyshabur due to his inclination toward the Constitutional Movement. He died in exile and his body was buried in the courtyard of the tomb of the Iranian poet Attar in Neyshabur.