Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Born in 1924 in the ancient Persian city of Qazvin in a grand old house replete with carpets, stained glass, nightingales and gardens, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian left occupied Iran during World War II, and audaciously set out for America. After studying at Parsons, she befriended Louise Nevelson, Frank Stella, Joan Mitchell, Milton Avery, Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol. Though Monir was deeply immersed in the New York art world, a marriage proposal would lead her back to Tehran, where she continued to make art and define her practice. Her work weds the abstract patterning of her Iranian heritage with the rhythms of modern architectural abstraction, in mirrors and reverse-painted glass. In addition to wall-based reliefs, intricate sculptures and mirror mosaics, for which she has become internationally famous, Monir has produced Plexiglass sculptures, brush paintings and drawings. This substantial overview of her work incorporates reflections by friends and fellow artists such as Etel Adnan, Siah Armajani, Caraballo-Farman, Golnaz Fathi, Hadi Hazavei, Susan Hefuna, Rose Issa, Faryar Javaherian, Abbas Kiarostami, Shirin Neshat, Donna Stein and Frank Stella, as well as an annotated timeline by Negar Azimi, a conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist and critical essays by Nader Ardalan, Media Farzin and Eleanor Sims.