هنر مجسمه‌سازی در دورۀ پهلوی اول و کارکردهای سیاسی‌اجتماعی آن

With the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty, a profound transformation occurred in the patronage and production of sculpture in Iran—so much so that the sheer volume of statues commissioned during this period is without precedent in both the ancient and modern eras of Iranian history. Sculpture emerged as a potent symbolic medium through which the ruling elite articulated their policies, grounded in the tenets of nationalism, antiquarianism, and modernization. The Pahlavi government sought to harness these public monuments as instruments of ideological persuasion, strategically placing them in prominent urban locations to shape public consciousness and align the traditional and religious sectors of Iranian society with the reformist vision championed by the dynasty’s intellectual and political elite. In other words, the regime deliberately exploited the propagandistic potential of sculptural art to prime the populace for its reform agenda.

This study addresses the following research question: What political, social, and cultural functions did the statues erected during the First Pahlavi era serve, and how did they reflect the government’s objectives within the public sphere? Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, this research systematically examines library sources—particularly archival documents and contemporary newspapers—and applies semiotic analysis to elucidate how the iconography of Pahlavi-era sculptures influenced and permeated the ideological landscape of the time.

The findings reveal that sculpture in Reza Shah’s reign fulfilled explicit political, social, and cultural roles, shaped by the court’s policies and the perspectives of the era’s intellectual elites.