A00045 - Shirin Aliabadi, Iranian Artist With Focus on Modern Iranian Women

Shirin Aliabadi (b. March 10, 1973, Tehran, Iran – d, October 1, 2018, Tehran, Iran) was an Iranian contemporary visual artist.

Aliabadi was born in Tehran, Iran in 1973. She studied art history and archaeology at the University of Paris. 

Aliabadi was married to the artist Farhad Moshiri.  She was represented by The Third Line gallery in Dubai.

Aliabadi died on October 1, 2018, from cancer, in Tehran, Iran.

Aliabadi's art, which includes photographs and drawings, explores the competing effects on young urban Iranian women of traditional values, religious restrictions and globalized western culture. Her work appeared in solo exhibitions in Dubai, Tehran, London, Switzerland and Denmark and in group exhibitions at the Institut des cultures d'Islam in Paris, the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, at Frieze New York, at the Chelsea Art Museum, and in Monaco, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Italy, Norway, Estonia, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.

Her work is held in the collections of Deutsche Bank AG in Gerrnany, the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery and the Farjam Collection in Dubai.

A00044 - Abbas Amir Entezam, Deputy Prime Minister in Bazargan Cabinet

Entezam, Abbas Amir
Abbas Amir Entezam (Persian: عباس امیرانتظام‎, b. August 18, 1932, Tehran, Iran – d. July 12, 2018, Tehran, Iran) was an Iranian politician who served as deputy prime minister in the Interim Cabinet of Mehdi Bazargan in 1979. In 1981 he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of spying for the United States, a charge critics suggest was a cover for retaliation against his early opposition to theocratic government in Iran. He was the longest-held political prisoner in the Islamic Republic of Iran. As of 2006 he had been in jail for seventeen years and in and out of jail for an additional ten years, altogether for 27 years.

Entezam was born into a middle-class family in Tehran in 1932.  He studied electro-mechanical engineering at the University of Tehran and graduated in 1955.

In 1956, Entezam left Iran for study at Institute of France (Paris). He then went to the United States and completed his postgraduate education at the University of California in Berkeley. 

After graduation, he remained in the United States and worked as an entrepreneur.

Around 1970, Entezam's mother was dying and he returned to Iran to be with her. Because of his earlier political activities, the Shah's Intelligence Service would not allow him to return to the United States.  He stayed in Iran, marrying, becoming a father and developing a business in partnership with his friend and mentor, Mehdi Bazargan.  Bazargan appointed him as the head of the political bureau of the Freedom Movement of Iran in December 1978, replacing Mohammad Tavasoli.  In 1979, the Shah was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution.  The revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, recently returned to Iran, appointed Bazargan as prime minister of the provisional revolutionary government.  Bazargan, in turn, asked Entezam to be the deputy prime minister and the official spokesperson for the new government. 

While serving as deputy prime minister, in April 1979, Entezam actively advocated the retirement of army officers above the rank of brigadier general.  In 1979, Entezam succeeded in having the majority of the cabinet sign a letter opposing the Assembly of Experts, which was drawing up the new theocratic constitution where democratic bodies were subordinate to clerical bodies. His theocratic opponents attacked him and, in response, in August 1979, Bazargan appointed Entezam to become Iran's ambassador to Denmark.

In December 1979, Bazargan asked Entezam, who had been serving as ambassador to Sweden, to come back quickly to Tehran. Upon returning to Tehran, Entezam was arrested because of allegations based on some documents retrieved from the United States embassy takeover, and imprisoned for a life term.  He was released in 1998 but in less than 3 months, he was rearrested because of an interview with the Tous daily newspaper, one of the reformist newspapers of the time.

In smuggled letters, Entezam related that on three separate occasions, he had been blindfolded and taken to the execution chamber - once being kept "there two full days while the Imam contemplated his death warrant." He spent 555 days in solitary confinement, and in cells so "overcrowded that inmates took turns sleeping on the floor - each person rationed to three hours of sleep every 24 hours." During his imprisonment, Entezam experienced permanent ear damage, developed spinal deformities, and suffered from various skin disorders.

Entezam died of a heart attack in Tehran on July 12, 2018. He was buried the following day in Behesht e Zahra cemetery, with Ayatollah Montazeri's  son leading the funeral prayer.

A00043 - Abbas Attar, Iranian Photographer Who Documented the Impact of Extremism

Abbas Attar
Abbas Attar (Persian: عباس‬‎; full name: عباس عطار‬ ʿAbbās ʿAṭṭār; b. March 29,1944, Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran – d. April 25, 2018, Paris, France), better known by his mononym Abbas, was an Iranian photographer known for his photojournalism in Biafra, Vietnam and South Africa in the 1970s, and for his extensive essays on religions in later years. He was a member of Sipa Press from 1971 to 1973, a member of Gamma from 1974 to 1980, and joined Magnum Photos in 1981.

Attar, an Iranian transplanted to Paris, dedicated his photographic work to the political and social coverage of the developing southern nations. Beginning around 1970, his major works were published in world magazines and included wars and revolutions in Biafra, Bangladesh, Ulster, Vietnam, the Middle East, Chile, Cuba, and South Africa with an essay on apartheid.

From 1978 to 1980, Abbas photographed the revolution in Iran, and returned in 1997 after a 17 year voluntary exile. His book iranDiary 1971-2002 (2002) is a critical interpretation of its history, photographed and written as a personal diary.

From 1983 to 1986, Abbas travelled throughout Mexico, photographing the country as if he were writing a novel. An exhibition and a book, Return to Mexico, journeys beyond the mask (1992), which includes his travel diaries, helped him define his aesthetics in photography.

From 1987 to 1994, Abbas photographed the resurgence of Islam from Xinjiang to Morocco. His book and exhibition Allah O Akbar, a journey through militant Islam (1994) exposes the internal tensions within Muslim societies, torn between a mythical past and a desire for modernization and democracy. The book drew additional attention after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

When the year 2000 became a landmark in the universal calendar, Christianity was the symbol of the strength of Western civilization. Faces of Christianity, a photographic journey (2000) and a touring exhibit, explored this religion as a political, a ritual and a spiritual phenomenon.

From 2000 to 2002 Abbas worked on Animism. In our world defined by science and technology, the work looked at why irrational rituals make a strong come-back. He abandoned this project on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Abbas' book, In Whose Name? The Islamic World after 9/11 (2009), is a seven year quest within 16 countries.  As set forth in this book, opposed by governments who hunt them mercilessly, the jihadists lose many battles, but they may be winning the war to control the mind of the people, with the "creeping islamisation" of all Muslim societies.

From 2008 to 2010 Abbas travelled the world of Buddhism, photographing with the same sceptical eye for his book Les Enfants du lotus, voyage chez les bouddhistes(2011). In 2011, he began a similar long-term project on Hinduism which he concluded in 2013.

Before his death, Abbas was working on documenting Judaism around the world.

He died in Paris on April 25, 2018.

A00042 - Ruth Koesun, Versatile Ballet Dancer

Ruth Ann Koesun, Versatile Ballet Theater Dancer, Dies at 89

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Ruth Ann Koesun with John Kriza in Michael Kidd’s “On Stage!” in 1947.

By Anna Kisselgoff

Feb. 14, 2018

Ruth Ann Koesun, a principal dancer in American Ballet Theater who epitomized the company’s early eclectic profile by excelling in roles that ranged from Billy the Kid’s Mexican sweetheart to the “Bluebird” pas de deux from “The Sleeping Beauty,” died on Feb. 1 in Chicago. She was 89.

Her death was confirmed by her goddaughter, Ellen Coghlan.

Because of her lyrical style in ballets like “Les Sylphides,” Ms. Koesun was often cast as a Romantic ballerina. But she could also show dramatic ferocity, as the evil antiheroine Ate in Antony Tudor’s “Undertow,” which depicts a young murderer’s development.

Contemporary ballet makers favored her. In 1950, Herbert Ross, a new choreographer and future film director, cast her in his “Caprichos,” based on Goya’s etchings. She portrayed a dead woman who is tossed around by her partner in choreographed movements that suggested she was inert.

She found her signature role in Ballet Theater’s revivals of Eugene Loring’s “Billy the Kid,” from 1938. A brilliantly stylized experimental work that used occasional speech, the ballet had a biographical plotline by Lincoln Kirstein (who would become a founder of New York City Ballet), and a double role for Ms. Koesun, who portrayed both the sweetheart and the mother of the outlaw Billy.

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Her mix of hidden virtuosity and tender emotion complemented the power of John Kriza, her frequent ballet partner, as Billy. Both performed the ballet with the company before President John F. Kennedy and the first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, at the White House on May 22, 1962.

Ruth Ann Koesun was born on May 15, 1928, in Chicago to Dr. Paul Z. Koesun, a Chinese physician in Chicago’s Chinatown, and the former Mary Mondulick, who was of Russian descent.

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She met Mr. Kriza, later a Ballet Theater star, while studying at the Chicago ballet school directed by Bentley Stone and Walter Camryn, and performed with him in nightclubs and summer stock.

Ms. Koesun joined the company in 1946 while it was appearing in London and advanced quickly to principal dancer. She retired from Ballet Theater in 1969. Her marriage to Eric Braun, a principal dancer with the troupe, ended in divorce after eight years.

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Ms. Koesun and Michael Lland in David Lichine’s “Graduation Ball” in 1956.CreditMaurice Seymour

Ms. Koesun, who lived in Chicago, leaves no immediate survivors.

Her first years in the company were auspicious. The cover of the Nov. 3, 1947, issue of Life magazine consisted of a double portrait of two young Ballet Theater dancers, Ms. Koesun and Melissa Hayden.

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Rarely had a novice received such rave reviews as those that greeted Ms. Koesun in May of that year for her role in Ballet Theater’s “On Stage!” Michael Kidd, the future Broadway and Hollywood choreographer, had cast her as a very young dancer suffering from stage fright at a rehearsal.

“It was little Ruth Ann Koesun who captured all hearts last night,” the critic John Martin wrote in The New York Times. He praised her “lovely line” and “immeasurable charm.”

Walter Terry, the dance critic for The New York Herald Tribune, wrote later that year that Ms. Koesun’s progress “has been so rapid” and hailed “her highly individual quality of movement, shy but not weak, delicate but assured.”

“She had a unique style,” Richard Covello, an arts writer in Chicago who followed Ms. Koesun’s career closely, said in a telephone interview, noting her hidden technical strengths. “She was a strong dancer locked in the dainty,” he said.

In 1951, Mr. Martin wrote of her “exquisite dancing” in the “Bluebird” pas de deux with the French guest star Jean Babilée, adding that he wondered why “a dancer of these potentialities does not always exhibit them.”

Over the years, Ms. Koesun’s other partners included Erik Bruhn, and her repertoire included Mr. Tudor’s “Dim Lustre,” David Lichine’s “Graduation Ball,” Bronislava Nijinska’s “La Fille Mal Gardée,” Frederick Ashton’s “Les Patineurs” and new works as well, among them Mr. Babilée’s “Till Eulenspiegel.”

She performed often in Jerome Robbins’s early ballets, including “Fancy Free” and “Interplay.” Mr. Covello said that she was the only dancer to perform each of the three female roles in “Fancy Free.” This was thanks to a fluke.

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The ballet ends with three sailors chasing a young woman who appears very briefly onstage after the two main women in the ballet have left. In previous performances, Ms. Koesun had danced each of the two main female roles. On this occasion, she was in the wings when the third woman was late and did not appear.

“So,” Mr. Covello said, “Ruth Ann went back onstage and did the part.”

RUTH ANN KOESUN

Obituary Condolences Gallery

Koesun, Ruth Ann, age 89, of Chicago passed away Feb. 1, 2018 of natural causes. Devoted daughter of the late Dr. Paul Z. Koesun, a distinguished physician for many years in Chicago's Chinatown, and Mary M. Koesun (nee Mondulick). Loving cousin of the late Loring and Dr. Moyra Moy of San Francisco. Dear friend of many including Mary Jane and Ted Fudacz, Susan and David Ruder, Jack Hackman, Richard "Dick" Covello, Barbara Pekow, Alison Hinderliter, Kerri Burkhardt, Barbara Landis and Michael Kramer. Loving godmother of Ellen (Hon. Matthew) Coghlan. Graduate of Mercy High School Class of 1945. Ruth Ann was a Principal Ballerina of Ballet Theatre, now known as American Ballet Theatre from 1946 to 1969 traveling extensively around the world. She debuted on July 4, 1946 at London's Royal Opera House and would go on to win international acclaim for her lyrical interpretations of many roles. Ms. Koesun was described as having a graceful yet assured technique and a sensitive feel for characterization, which along with her "porcelain-princess" beauty made her a popular and widely known performer. She, along with Melissa Hayden, were photographed by Philippe Halsman and appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1947. She taught master classes and was associated with her beloved John Kriza in ABT productions, in summer stock, and in the famous "Salute" shows at the College Inn in Chicago and the New Yorker Hotel. After retiring from American Ballet, Ms. Koesun was co-director of the Dance Department at Hull House Association and danced as principal ballerina with First Chamber Dance Company of New York, 1971-73, then became Executive Director of the Association of Illinois Dance, 1975-79. Ms. Koesun also worked as performing arts archivist at The Newberry Library, 1989-present, as a member of the dance panel of the Illinois Arts Council, Chicago, and as Administrative Assistant for Chamber Opera Chicago. Ms Koesun was a recipient of the Excellence Award in performing arts from the Organization of Chinese Americans, 1985. Visitation Saturday February 17, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. until time of Mass 10:30 a.m. at Holy Name Cathedral, 730 N. State Street, Chicago, IL. Interment at a later date. In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church, Chicago. www.sttheresechinatown.org. Arrangements entrusted to the Original Lamb Family Funeral & Cremations Service. For info call 708-710-9549.

A00041 - Asma Jahangir, Pakistani Human Rights Lawyer and Social Activist

Jahangir, Asma
Asma Jilani Jahangir (Urdu: عاصمہ جہانگیر‬‎, transliteration 'Asimah Jahangir,  January 27, 1952 – February 11, 2018) was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.  She was widely known for playing a prominent role in the Lawyers' Movement and served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur  on Freedom or Belief and as a trustee at the International Crisis Group.

Born and raised in Lahore, Jahangir studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary before receiving her B.A. from Kinnaird and LLB from the Punjab University in 1978. In 1980, she was called to the Lahore High Court, and to the Supreme Court in 1982. In the 1980s, Jahangir became a democracy activist and was imprisoned in 1983 for participating in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy against the military regime of Zia-ul-Haq. In 1986, she moved to Geneva, and became the vice-chair of the Defence for Children International and remained until 1988 when she moved back to Pakistan.

In 1987, Jahangir co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and became its Secretary General until 1993 when she was elevated as the commission's chairperson. She was again put under house arrest in November 2007 after the imposition of emergency. After serving as one of the leaders of the Lawyers' Movement, she became Pakistan's first woman to serve as the President of Supreme Court Bar Association. She co-chaired South Asia Forum for Human Rights and was the vice president of International Federation for Human Rights. Jahangir served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion from August 2004 to July 2010, including serving on the United Nations panel for inquiry into Sri Lankan human rights violations and on a fact-finding mission on Israeli settlements.  In 2016, she was named as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, remaining until her death in February 2018.

Jahangir's prominent writings include The Hudood Ordinance: A Divine Sanction? and Children of a Lesser God.