Shahrzad Ghaffari's Mural at Leighton House Museum

The Iranian artist Shahrzad Ghaffari will fulfill an 11-meter-high mural for permanent display at Leighton House Museum. About this artwork she stated:

"The idea of 'Oneness' originated from a poem by the Persian poet Rumi. The poem itself is about 'Oneness', and about how it doesn't matter which religion or culture you come from, exactly like the vision of Leighton. He had a vision that brought together East and West under one roof. My work, Oneness, is repeating the same idea."

This is the first contemporary work of art to be displayed permanently in the interior of Leighton House Museum.

"Oneness" will embellish the walls of the new spiral staircase of Leighton. Shahrzad Ghaffari has been working on this painting from January to March 2022, and with her work, she will breathe new life into the point of fusion of East and West in the heart of Frederick Leighton's enduring heritage. With her original visual motif, and the impact of a turquoise brushstroke from Persian calligraphy, the artist interprets the words in abstract forms and pays homage to the design of traditional tiles in Leighton House's Arabic Hall. The spiral shape of the motif also matches the spiral structure of the staircase. This mural is a new manifestation of the fusion of cultures and the close relationship between art and architecture in the Victorian interior of Leighton House, and places "Oneness" between the past, present, and future of the museum.