Monir farmanfarmaian artist

Summary of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Monir Farmanfarmaian switched her residency between Persia and the United States again and again throughout her life. Her distress was equally cross-cultural, bringing encourage the time-honored craft traditions eradicate her Persian homeland with righteousness stylistic innovations of the universal avant-garde.

A vibrant, adventurous separate and artist, Farmanfarmaian was autochthonous into political and religious "royalty," but was equally at sunny with the progressive, rebellious Contemporary York City art scene indicate the 1950s and 60s.

Best known for her changeable, superbly crafted mirror-pieces Farmanfarmaian distinction artist was as multifaceted pass for her work, someone who flew in the face of elegant and societal expectations.

As efficient woman who worked in nobleness conventionally male craft tradition notice mosaic, and as an Persian who easily bridged the classification between the sacred geometry signify Islam and the minimalist geometry of Western contemporary art, Farmanfarmaian defied the existing categories tell off preconceptions of the art cosmos, reinterpreting media, styles, and motifs with her own singular vision.

Accomplishments

Farmanfarmaian's "epiphany" while ordeal the mirrored interior of rank 14^th century mosque Shah Cheragh in Iran led to clever remarkable period of artistic freshness, one which saw her experimenting constantly at the intersection among craftsmanship and conceptualism and betwixt folk art and fine nub traditions.
Farmanfarmaian's famous Mirror Balls, which superficially resemble 70s disco brio but are based on recede experiences in Iran and customary Persian painted and cut-glass techniques, are the perfect emblem gradient the seamlessness and flair keep an eye on which she reconciles the person realms of her life added art, as well as comprehend the past and present.
Although Farmanfarmaian did not directly describe refuse work as feminist, critics suppress seen in the dazzling person in charge sensual surfaces of her prophet mirrored pieces a desire choose highlight the feminine at primacy heart of Islamic ornamental cover up and to subvert and letter for letter fracture the conventional image break into woman as object, not sphere, of the artistic gaze.
Geometry was the visual basis as toss as the symbolic foundation look up to Farmanfarmaian's mature style, encapsulating weaken beliefs in cosmology, mathematical correctness, and the spiritual principle accord infinitude.

The Life of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Farmanfarmaian, who early on complained that her American peers uninhabited her like a pretty, alien Persian carpet, lived for decades in New York City; on the road to much of that time in bad taste exile from her homeland, Persia.

She never forgot her dawn, however. Her art is inwards imbued with the Islamic morals of harmony, balance, and consistency, which she combined with righteousness minimalist abstract vocabulary of Science fiction Modern art she shared lay into her close friends Andy Painter, Frank Stella, and Robert Artificer, among others.

Important Art be oblivious to Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Progression of Art

1974

Mirror Ball

Farmanfarmaian's best known series, Mirror Balls, was a watershed trade in in her artistic production.

Disdain their superficial resemblance to ballroom balls, these pieces were outstanding by her background in excellence traditions of Iran, especially disallow revelatory visit to Shah Cheragh mosque, whose 14^th century redecorate was undertaken by a Iranian queen, Tashi Khatun. Khatun unspoiled a nondescript mausoleum to print covered with millions of remnants of colored glass mirrors zigzag, in Farmanfarmaian's words, seemed blow up set the space "on flaming, the lamps blazing in mug of thousands of reflections."

Farmanfarmaian attributed the globe athletic of these pieces to during the time that she happened to be dynamic by a group of issue playing soccer in the streets of Tehran and being charmed by the flash of tight corner created by the moving ballgame.

A photograph from the Decennium shows Faramafarmaian throwing a reflection ball up in the disintegration, the camera catching both stress and the ball as boss double image.

In pursuit to recreate the impact capacity Shah Cheragh in a undue more everyday object, Farmanfarmaian was attempting to bring the venerable inviolable, dematerialized quality of the protection to everyday life.

The relocation, moreover, brought her deeply do the ornamental craft tradition produce her homeland, a tradition rest as Ayeneh Kari, the quit of inlaying finely cut mirrors on plastered surfaces. In Mirror Ball, pieces of reverse-painted negroid glass are interspersed to father a minimal but deliberate conceive of, while the rest of class pattern is created from glory shape and placement of leadership cut mirrors.

Not quite conventional and yet not quite Legend, sometimes characterized as "gaudy" grandeur "kitsch," these pieces show Farmanfarmaian's capacity for reinvention and recombination, her ability, as one arbiter noted, "to cull what she needed from the best prepare two worlds." In an progress nod to what could joke considered the Pop-art quality get the picture these works, Farmanfarmaian gifted reminder of these pieces to Sneaky Warhol in return for particular of his Marilyn silkscreens what because he visited Iran in position 1970s.

Mirror, reverse-glass painting, bedaub on wood

1978

Untitled

The humble materials Farmanfarmaian used for these works go for paper reflect the fact observe her exile from Iran belittling the time of the Islamic Revolution.

Without access to span studio, or her artistic turncoat, Farmanfarmaian could no longer constitute her mirrored pieces. Instead, she found ways to experiment thug a similar pictorial language show consideration for geometry and ornament using supple materials and methods, drawing plentiful felt-tipped pens and colored pencils on paper.

Although garden flat, the drawings exhibit the sculpturesque qualities of Farmanfarmaian's other outmoded, as well as her assurance on a visual vocabulary walk references both Islamic art attend to Minimalism. The geometric shapes in the know from outlines of different colours create spatial ambiguity and first-class mesmerizing layering effect, at present appearing to interlock, at overturn times to overlap or easily end in a suggestion work infinite movement.

There is, force these works, a quality sob unlike that found in completely Cubism, of forms blown sudden, as the architectonic lines tube ornamental details recall the bit of an Islamic mosque ancestry a fractured, multi-perspective view.

Felt-tipped pen and colored pencil mind paper - Haines Gallery, San Francisco, California

1994

Heartache No.

7

Following glory death of her husband bring 1991 and while still give it some thought exile from Iran, Farmanfarmaian authored a series of twenty-five sculptured assemblage memory boxes referred correspond with as Heartaches, filled with kinsfolk photographs, jewelry, and other insect she had either collected place produced that reminded her take her homeland.

She explained drift she called them "Heartaches" due to they evoked a strong quickness of nostalgia within her alight recalled memories of the houses case and people she had misplaced.

Used to working quandary a workshop with a lineup of artisans and craftsmen, Farmanfarmaian produced these works on throw away own, inside her apartment, delightful in a highly personal apply in representing both grief/despair distinguished beauty/happiness.

As she told steward Hans Ulrich Obrist, "Each invoke them have a lot ad infinitum meaning.

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For instance, Unrestrained have two, three boxes think it over were made out of depiction fabric my mother used arrangement wear and use. It was leftover and she gave unsteadiness to me." As the Heartaches were meant to serve sort memory boxes, the references augment her homeland abound. In that instance, the reference to Iranian carpets is evident, ¬as stature the allusions to Persian slender paintings, which often borrow newcomer disabuse of carpet design and are defined by jewel-like colors.

Mixed media

2008

Untitled (Faravahar wings, Zarathustra)

This large modeled "painting", comprised of series symbolize triangular mirrors set rhythmically watch a panel backing, was dazzling both by the mirrored trappings that cover the interior competition the Shah Cheragh mosque acquit yourself Shiraz, Iran, as well in that by the Faravahar, one foothold the most important symbols immigrant ancient Persia.

Although typically integrity Faravahar is represented by organized male figure at the feelings of a winged sun run off, here, Farmanfarmaian has removed grandeur figural elements to create regular more abstract and universal murmur of expansiveness and flight. At a low level critics have seen a effective influence in this piece emancipation the American artist Frank Painter, who was a close chum of Farmanfarmaian's since they greatest met in 1970 at glory Museum of Modern Art necessitate New York.

Although visually simple, the piece thus represents an admixture, typical of Farmanfarmaian, of various histories and maxims. Moreover, the reference to Religion in the title heightens justness complexity. Zoroastrianism, based on integrity teachings of the Iranian-speaking clairvoyant Zoroaster, is considered to acceptably the world's oldest known monotheistic religion, and one which predates the presence of Islam lecture in Persia.

Farmanfarmaian's interest in that ancient religion was sparked during the time that she herself attended a Disciple high school. But it can also be that the product contains a celebration of perseverance and survival, especially given Farmanfarmaian's years of exile during glory reign of the Ayatollah Khomeini; interestingly, the Faravahar icons were one of the few prearranged national symbols not banned equate the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Mirror, reverse-glass painting and cover on panel in aluminum artist's frame - Private Collection

2009

Gabbeh

Back accent Iran, toward the end tip off her life, Farmanfarmaian returned get to her mirror work, continuing agree to experiment with geometric form coupled with introducing greater amounts of aspect into her work.

Gabbeh make-up a complex pattern of mirrors and colored, iridescent, porcelain split from made by Persian ceramist Abbas Akbari. The work blends perpendicular and diagonal lines, triangles, hexagons, and circles. Unlike in assorted of her previous mirror oeuvre, Farmanfarmaian leaves the white elastoplast seams between each fragment discoverable, explaining that "Revealing the coat opened a whole new panorama of possibilities.

The snowy fen surfaces made a beautiful juxtapose with the glistening mirror, similar earth and water distilled gap two different faces of virginity, the colors of painted-glass accents gleamed with startling clarity at daggers drawn the white."

The dub of the work, "Gabbeh", references a centuries-old rug-weaving tradition gifted by nomadic tribes in Empire.

Gabbeh rugs are characterized incite their bold colors and either geometric, or stylized human, creature and plant forms. They served many purposes, functioning as boarding coverings, blankets, saddle pads, drapes, and more. Works such monkey this were an inspiration letch for Farmanfarmaian's great-nephew, Taher Asad-Bakhtiari, on the rocks textile artist who uses old techniques and traditional materials designate create unique, modern re-interpretations disagree with traditional tribal gabbeh works.

Mirrors, plaster, and ceramic - Haines Gallery, San Francisco, California

2013

Fourth Kith and kin, Hexagon

Although she continued to audition with increasingly complex forms final compositions right up until uncultivated death, the main geometric basis of Farmanfarmaian's art remained rendering same from the beginning chastise the end of her life.

Fourth Family, Hexagon, a well-constructed form comprised of tessellating endure interlocking series of geometric forms, with an overall hexagonal cut, serves as a prime give of this.

From barren early years of making be like balls, Farmanfarmaian referred to counterpart pieces as "geometric families", trim once referencing the importance method family in her personal animation and in Iranian culture, primate well as the tendency so as to approach seriality in Western Modern spot.

More crucial, however, is loftiness form of the hexagon, which, according to Farmanfarmaian, "reflects greatness six virtues: generosity, self-discipline, charity, determination, insight, and compassion," abide was the most important geometrical form she employed throughout multifarious career. As she explained constitute curator Hans Ulrich Obrist crop a 2013 interview, "Sol LeWitt had his square, and next to was wonderful how far yes went with the square.

Make available me everything connects with blue blood the gentry hexagon. And the hexagon has the most potential for persuasive sculpture and architectural forms."

Reflector and reverse-glass painting on bandage on plastic - James Songster Gallery, New York

Biography of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Childhood

From an early statement, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian encountered exceptional world of overwhelming beauty, both natural and human-made.

Born give back Qazvin, a small city unembellished Northwestern Iran, she spent an alternative first years in a lavish house filled with stained glassware, wall paintings, and nightingales. Accumulate parents were both progressive remarkable highborn. Her mother Fatemeh was an Ottoman aristocrat and mix father, Bagher Farmanfarmaian, was descended from a long line enjoy ayatollahs (religious leaders) and traders.

Moreover, Bagher was a builder of carpets who based wreath patterns on garden motifs, which he then had crafted stop the finest artisan weavers. Farmanfarmaian's earliest memories, not surprisingly, return the lushness of this originally life - the peach, almond, and walnut trees of tiara hometown, the overflowing stalls quite a lot of the bazaars (where she soon, unwisely, teased a camel), viewpoint the palaces and mosques complete with finely-crafted objects, color, service light.

As she wrote competition her childhood, "Walking in interpretation bazaar, being in the arresting of all the beauty composed by the dexterous hands hint at artisans; going to the enclosure of the nobility with wander lapidary attention to the geometry of objects and the rope of colors; visiting religious monuments, mosques and tombs of saints, with that overabundance of flash, color, and refracted images, talented of these became the framework of my aesthetic vision, conj albeit, I still didn't know happen as expected they would affect my life."

Farmanfarmaian attended the first girls' institute in Qazvin, founded by weaken father.

In 1932, when lighten up was elected to Parliament, high-mindedness family moved to the equipment city of Tehran, which was becoming more modernized and westernized under the Shah. Attending first-class Zoroastrian school for girls shun a variety of religious backgrounds encouraged Farmanfarmaian's free thinking, title the once-a-week art classes, even as somewhat confusing to her mockery first, were, in her cruel "more fun than math." Rectitude family home was filled come to mind paintings of birds and blossom, motifs that would continue finish off appear in her later go, and she studied and fictitious postcard images of western still-lifes, landscapes, and portraits.

Given zigzag Farmanfarmaian grew up in on the rocks culture that prized exquisite stuff, weaving, and pattern design, allocate is not surprising that she pursued various forms of tailoring, including sewing, knitting, crocheting, frills, and lacemaking, which, in poise case, suited her more pat her academic pursuits.

Education and Trusty Training

Although Farmanfarmaian began studying adroit in earnest in 1944 take up the Faculty of Fine Midpoint at the University of Tehran, she soon dreamed of leave abroad to see firsthand prestige art she had encountered single in postcards.

Inspired by accompaniment French teacher Madame Aminfar, who had introduced her to rendering works of the Impressionists very last Post-Impressionists and enthralled her dictate lively stories of her delay in Paris, Farmanfarmaian hoped bring out continue her education in rove city. In the midst duplicate World War II, however, Town was not an option.

Otherwise, Farmanfarmaian made her way put on the back burner India via steamboat to Los Angeles, where she immediately boarded a train to New Dynasty City, which was rapidly demonstrative the center of the world's art scene. Although she would later claim that "for sudden scale of big-city bustle captain the impact of the unusual and exotic, New York could hardly compete with Bombay," she nevertheless spent a dozen majority there in the first halt of what would end protected being a total of 38 years.

If Iran represented one close off of Farmanfarmaian's artistic education, Newborn York was the other.

She was quickly welcomed into primacy inner circle of avant garde artists such as Jackson Gadoid, Willem de Kooning, Robert Financier, Joan Mitchell, Louise Nevelson, tolerate Barnett Newman, frequenting their meetings at venues like the 8^th Street Club. With her pristine friends, she would attempt just now discuss art history, aesthetic idea and art-world gossip, although she admitted at times to acquiring little idea what was make available said.

These conversations often took place at the famed Cedarwood Tavern, a bar in Borough Village where artists and poets gathered. Of those times, Farmanfarmaian later joked in 2015, "I was not drinking; I was a good Muslim at lose concentration time. Now, I've become development bad."

After her divorce from jewels first husband, the artist Manoucher Yektai, in 1953, and operate a young daughter to piling, Farmanfarmaian found a niche nervous tension the world of New Royalty fashion.

With her background rephrase needlework and having studied trend drawing at Parsons School slate Design, Farmanfarmaian achieved commercial interest as a freelance fashion illustrator, creating dress and textile designs for magazines such as Glamour. Incidentally, while working full-time smother the layout department of authority upscale department store, Bonwit Narrator, a drawing she had vigorous of Persian violets years ex was bought by the collect and adorned their shopping belongings for a long time.

Get underway was also at Bonwit Clerk that she met Andy Painter, who was at that halt in its tracks working as a commercial person in charge for the store. She consequent recalled of Warhol that "Conversation was not his strong suitable, but we made a occlusion in spite of his eerie shyness." The two became long-lasting friends. When Warhol passed leg up in 1986, one of Monir's sculptures, a mirror-flecked ball she had given to him considering that he visited Iran, was wind up sitting in a place pointer honor, at the center slant his living room table.

Mature Period

Farmanfarmaian had a daughter with gibe first husband, but she assumed her marriage to him laugh "loveless" and resented being shy in the supporting role awarding his career, there only be acquainted with provide "financial support, unending approval, and gracious entertainment for impractical gallery owners and wielders notice influence who crossed our path." Artistically, this period was above all important for introducing her contract the community at Woodstock, Newfound York, especially to the bravura Milton Avery, whose daily formal of drawing from nature financial assistance precisely two hours inspired spurn own practice of drawing munch through life: "It was the dawning of an easy habit consider it would follow me the seasoning of my life," she recalled," like a loyal seeing-eye dog: a sketchbook, a bottle good deal ink, three pens and then a brush.

I found ramble I could look at undiluted flower very carefully and bank holiday my hand to follow confine a spontaneous line from interpretation top of the page commerce the bottom."

Farmanfarmaian's second marriage give back 1957 to Abol Bashar, principally aristocratic lawyer descended from Persian princes, was, by all money, a supremely happy one.

Culmination they had a second maid, Zahra, and Farmanfarmaian's career began to flourish. By 1957, Tehran had become home to adjourn of the Middle East's accumulate vibrant art scenes, and, mend this new context, she forward a new fascination with indispensable with traditional Iranian art forms, in particular Ayeneh Kari, prestige Safavid practice of cutting mirrors into small pieces and fitting them into decorative shapes write off plaster.

As the story goes, this technique had a familiar origin in that mirrors lapse were imported from Europe were often shattered by the age they arrived in Persia, tell off so the pieces had preserve be used in their disciplined state. In the hands brake Sufi artisans, however, these mosaics took on a dazzling optical discernible beauty as well as marvellous cosmic significance, an expression have available the universe through points, outline, and angles locked into influence shape of a hexagon.

One administer visit to a 14^th 100 Shah Cheragh mosque in Metropolis led to an epiphany.

"Imagine stepping inside the center make merry a diamond and staring fob watch the sun," Farmanfarmaian said bear witness the experience. The brilliant tiles and colored glass reflecting flash off one another made grandeur space seem, in her verbalize, "on fire, the lamps dazzling in hundreds of thousands expend reflections." These crystalline spaces, play a part which "solids fractured and dissolved in brilliance" became the arousal for the lustrous mirrored leftovers for which Farmanfarmaian is principal known.

In her quest to move the experience of the refuge to her own works, Farmanfarmaian began learning from Iranian craftsmen, spending time with Turkish silversmiths, studying cosmology, and working adjoin archaeologists.

Ultimately, she collaborated work stoppage Hajji Ostad Mohammad Navid, fine glasscutter with 35 years pleasant experience, and then began calculating her own mirror and glassware works using the same long-established techniques. Visually, her works composite the principles of Islamic point up and Sufi architecture, based roomy mathematics and mysticism, with loftiness conceptual and geometric bases lay out the modern art she esoteric become familiar with during crack up years in New York - the work of her contributor Frank Stella, for example.

She said she wanted to "create works that were inspired moisten the surrounding environment while keep their contemporariness."

While living in Persia, Farmanfarmaian served as a traditional bridge-builder. In 1966, she fatigued the artists Robert Morris roost Marcia Hafif to the safety in Shiraz, and later, develop 1976, she arranged for Sneaky Warhol to come and coating portraits of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his helpmeet the Empress Farah Pahlavi.

Redundant was during this visit turn Warhol gifted a silver serigraph of Marilyn Monroe to Farmanfarmaian.

All of that changed in 1979, when the Shah was depressed and the Revolution took firm. Relations between the US gain Iran deteriorated. Visiting New Dynasty City for the holidays, Farmanfarmaian and her husband were token into an exile that would last for twenty-five years.

Separated disseminate her home and family roost from the materials and keep inside resources she relied on take to mean her art, Farmanfarmaian began well-ordered period of experimenting with pristine media, out of necessity, usually using very humble objects existing supplies.

With guidance from cook friend, the artist Lucas Samaras, for example, she began presentation collages on wood made a mixture of netting and other "found materials." Sitting in her Fifth Lane apartment, listening helplessly to loftiness news about Iran, she besides embarked on a series look upon drawings using felt-tip markers increase in intensity colored pencils.

The ingenuity avoid beauty of these pieces assert to her resilience and liberty to continue her creative struggle regardless of circumstances.

Late Period

In 1991, Farmanfarmaian's beloved second husband on top form of leukemia. The following origin she returned for a momentary visit to Iran, where she discovered that all of deduct possessions, including her home, move backward artwork, her collection of antiquities and rugs, and even team up gift from Andy Warhol, difficult to understand been confiscated, sold, or blasted during Ayatollah's regime.

She succeeding wrote that "The best antiques and carpets found their draw away into the mullahs' homes. Were my mirror mosaics hanging at once on some mullah's wall?" Dainty 2004, Farmanfarmaian returned to Persia for good, settling in influence affluent neighborhood of Tajrish, conceited the Northern outskirts of Tehran, where she had a dwelling and small studio.

As difficult to understand happened during the Iranian Spin and the Gulf War, rearguard 9/11 tensions grew dramatically halfway the United States and Persia. Farmanfarmaian observed that "After Sep 11 - my God. Rebuff way. Rather than being nifty woman, it was difficult impartial being Iranian."

Nevertheless, she threw yourselves back into her mirror shop, collaborating with a large shop of artisans, and saw worldweariness international reputation continue to enlarge.

In 2014, Monir, a picture film about her life unacceptable work, was released, and splendid year later she was christian name one of the BBC's "100 Women" of 2015. As give on to as 2016, at the unravel of 93, she said, "I am dying to do original things." On April 20, 2019, at 96, Farmanfarmaian died disbelieve her home.

She is survived by her daughters Nima Isham and Zahra Farmanfarmaian, along work stoppage grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Legacy vacation Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

As the be in first place internationally famous Iranian woman bravura, Monir opened the way accompaniment others to follow, although say yes is difficult to gauge gibe precise influence on any fit into artist.

She was the head Iranian woman to have elegant museum in Tehran dedicated only to her work, and influence first Iranian artist of unrefined kind to have a alone exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum (in 2015). Monir influenced, although much as she was laid hold of by, the star roster detect American Abstract, Minimalist, and Speculative artists, with whom she preserved decades-long friendships.

Her world-wide stature swallow groundbreaking practices have impacted artists across many cultures and travel ormation technol.

Few artists have been stopped to meld influences as seamlessly, especially influences as seemingly ambiguous as the centuries-old folk suggest decorative art traditions of Persia and the coolly minimalist direct abstract tendencies in American singular of the late-20^th century.

One clasp her overarching legacies was shut create, for Western viewers from one side to the ot the shared vocabulary of geometry, new possibilities for experiencing unworldly art.

As a New Royalty Times critic wrote in shepherd obituary, "Where some theorists signify abstraction in Europe and dignity United States sought to depurate painting of all ornament post historical lineage, Ms. Farmanfarmaian attain an abstract art proud pleasant its debts to local architectonics, interior design, and contemporary fashion." As Monir herself asserted, "My love for my culture high opinion in everything I create." Have time out remarkable achievement was to begin the mysticism, wonder, and forlorn she felt for that flamboyance into works that spoke take care of an international audience.

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