The Avicenna Mausoleum in Hamadan serves as an early definitive statement of Hooshang Seyhoun’s architectural career, completed when he was twenty-three years old. His work spanned decades of Iranian design, blending modernist structural techniques with the preservation of historical aesthetics. An architect, painter, and sculptor, he operated at the intersection of academic leadership and large-scale public monument construction.
Early Education and Influences
Born in 1920 in Tehran, Seyhoun pursued his initial academic training at the University of Tehran’s College of Art and Architecture. He studied under architects Andre Godard and Maxime Siroux, eventually choosing to work within Siroux’s studio. His education continued in France at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, where he completed his formal training in 1948 and later received a Ph.D. in art after three years of study under Othello Zavaroni.
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Returning to Iran, Seyhoun integrated his practice with his academic duties at the University of Tehran. In 1961, he succeeded Mohsen Foroughi as the Dean of the College of Fine Arts. During his tenure, he revised the architectural curriculum to emphasize the study of Iranian historical structures. Beyond the university, he served on numerous national and international boards, including the High Committee of Urbanization and the International Committee of Icomos, while overseeing the repair of historical constructions for 15 years.
Architectural Contributions
Seyhoun is credited with designing over one thousand private villas and a variety of public structures. His portfolio prominently features mausoleums built for figures of Iranian cultural significance, including Ferdowsi, Nader Shah, Omar Khayyam, and Kamal-ol-molk. In addition to these monuments, he designed the Asia Cinema in Tehran and contributed to the design of the Tehran Central Railway Station.
Exile and Final Years
Following the Iranian Revolution, Seyhoun moved to Vancouver, where he lived in exile until his death in 2014. A member of the Baháʼí Faith, he requested in his will that his collection of paintings and drawings be donated to a museum in Iran. Upon his passing, he was interred in Forest Lawn’s graveyard in Los Angeles.
Fast facts
- Born: 1920, Tehran
- Died: 2014, Vancouver
- Citizenship: Iran
- Notable work: Avicenna Mausoleum
- Notable work: Tomb of Omar Khayyam
- Notable work: Nader Shah Mausoleum
- Notable work: Ferdowsi Mausoleum
- Education: University of Tehran; École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
Questions readers ask
What were the primary design influences for Hooshang Seyhoun?
He focused on the integration of Iranian historical architecture with modern design, a curriculum he implemented as Dean of the College of Fine Arts.
Where is Hooshang Seyhoun buried?
He is buried in Forest Lawn's graveyard in Los Angeles.
Achievements
- Notable work: Avicenna Mausoleum
- Notable work: Asia Cinema (Tehran)
- Notable work: Nader Shah Mausoleum
- Notable work: Tomb of Kamal-ol-molk
- Trained at University of Tehran
