Tehran University of Art

Iranians are art-loving people, and since times immemorial this fact has been manifest in every aspect of their lives; especially when it comes to the combination of color and pattern for creating unique works of art. This interest in art has been passed down from generation to generation among Iranians, and in every part of this land such fields of art as drawing, painting, calligraphy, etc. have been taught along with the usual school lessons. Perhaps the “Tehran University of Art” can be considered the oldest center of higher education that was established as a school of art.

The History of the Tehran University of Art

A center named “Conservatory of Music” was established in the year 1918, which was not affiliated with Dar al-Funun; the oldest modern-style center of higher education. This conservatory was also known as the “Academy of Music”.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the establishment of an institute of higher education in the field of art became the focus of the attention of authorities. Therefore, five educational institutions of “Farabi University”, “College of Decorative Arts”, “College of Dramatic Arts”, “Conservatory of Music”, and “College of National Music”, which were active before the Islamic Revolution were merged to form the “Art Academic Complex”. This academic complex officially began its activities in 1980 and was eventually renamed as the “University of Art” in 1991. During the course of its activities, many undergraduate and graduate courses have been created and many students have graduated from this university. Since its inception, the University of Art has been conducting courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and many people have graduated from this university.

In 1991, three faculties of “Applied Arts”, “Visual Arts” and “Cinema and Theater” and a campus in Isfahan were considered as the branches of this university. Later on, the faculties of Music and Architecture and Urban Planning were established in 1994 and 2001 respectively and the Isfahan Campus gained independence and started functioning as an independent academic unit. In the following years, the faculties of “Preservation and Restoration” and “Theoretical Sciences and Advanced Art Studies” were added to the structure of this university. Farabi International Campus is also another part of the university that was established to attract students in higher education.

The main building of this university is located in “Mashq Square”; one of the old squares of Tehran, which is considered to be downtown today. This complex, which is about 200 years old, also houses several museums.

International and Research Activities of Tehran University of Art

By making calls for admitting foreign students, Tehran University of Arts also admits students from other countries every year. The university also has an office called “Management of International Scientific Cooperation”, which is responsible for interacting with foreign universities and centers of higher education with the aim of exchanging knowledge and technology, holding conferences, and conducting joint research projects.

Most of the research activities of this university are directed towards supporting the educational courses it conducts. Tehran University of Art also publishes three scientific journals in the fields of architecture and urban planning, visual and applied arts, performing arts and music, and so far, more than 1100 articles have been published in different issues of these three journals.

The “Scientific-Artistic Collaborations with Society” group has been active since 2017 as one of the research departments of the Tehran University of Art. The main objective of this group is to support scientific activities and applied artistic research works related to society and industry.

Another interesting point about the Tehran University of Art is the activities of the “Center for Growth and Entrepreneurship”. This center, which was founded in 2020, is considered a means of economic growth and support for entrepreneurs in different fields of art. Helping new ideas and companies to complete the cycle of research to production, providing scientific, technical, executive, and financial facilities to inventors, and accompanying the private sector to market artistic products are among the most important tasks of the “Center for Growth and Entrepreneurship”.