Ghobad Shiva‭ (‬born 1940‭)‬

11th Festival of Arts Shiraz/Persepolis‭

‬1977, offset‭, ‬98x69‭ ‬cm

 

The Shiraz/Persepolis Festival of Arts was an international festival held in Iran every summer for eleven years‭, ‬1967‮–‬1977‭.‬ Jashn-e Honar-e Shiraz‭, ‬as it was

popularly known in Persian‭, ‬was an inspired and feverish exploration‭,‬

experimentation and creative

conversation between Iran and the

outside world‭, ‬primarily through the

media of music‭, ‬drama‭, ‬dance and

film‭. ‬Most of the festival posters

and catalogues were designed by

Ghobad Shiva‭. ‬This is his poster for

the 11th and last Arts Festival‭. ‬

The head of a mythological Assyrian

figure‭, ‬called Lamasu or Shedu‭, ‬is

featured in Persepolis monuments‭.‬

Its image on the poster‭, ‬capturing

the psychedelic style of the flowerpower

era‭, ‬was inspired by Milton Glaser's 1966‭ ‬poster of folk-rock icon Bob Dylan‭.‬