Mansoura Alikhani: The Painter Who Couldn’t Complete Her Last Painting

Mansoura Alikhani was a kind woman and a gifted artist. With a Master of Arts degree, she worked as a university teacher and lecturer. She was a skilled painter who also illustrated books and conducted research in art. Alikhani’s work was deeply rooted in her imagination, intuition, emotions, and inner perceptions. As she once said, her art was rarely inspired by the outside world.

She began painting seriously at the age of 18, attending classes with the renowned artist Kazem Chalipa, and continued her education at university. Her six-year-old collection, Pajhwok Khial, was a testament to this inner approach—formed through improvisation and playful manipulation of line, form, and visual rhythm.

But the bombs did not allow her to complete her last painting. The explosion claimed the artist’s hands and her creative mind. In the final days of her life, she was working on a piece inspired by the story of Ashura, which was left unfinished by her martyrdom. Her death shocked the Iranian artistic community. Memorial ceremonies and symposiums were later held in her honor in several countries, including Iraq.