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Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

  • Biography
  • Works
  • Exhibitions
  • News
  • Press
  • Iranian, 1923 - 2019 One of the most influential Middle Eastern artists of her generation, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian spent six...

    Iranian, 1923 - 2019

     

    One of the most influential Middle Eastern artists of her generation, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian spent six decades articulating her singular vision through mirrored mosaics, reverse-glass painting, and works on paper that recall both Qajar-era Persian interior decoration and the reductive abstraction of the 20th century. Her artistic evolution was shaped at once by cataclysmic geopolitical upheavals, ancient Persian traditions, and the New York art scene of the 1950s. The arc of Farmanfarmaian’s creative development is one of the great stories of contemporary art.
     
    Monir first received significant attention in 1958, when she was awarded a gold medal for her work in the Iranian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, leading to exhibitions in Tehran, Paris and New York. Her artwork has been exhibited at major institutions and exhibitions worldwide including career retrospectives at the Fundação Serralves–Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto, Portugal (2014); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (2015); Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA (2017); Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2018); and High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2021); and group exhibitions includinng the Gwangju Biennale, South Korea (2016);  Prospect 3, New Orleans, LA (2014); Sharjah Biennial 11, UAE (2013); 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland, Australia (2010); and 29th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (2009). She is the subject of a substantial monograph, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Cosmic Geometry, edited by Hans Ulrich Obrist; the co-author of an autobiography, A Mirror Garden (Knopf, 2007); and the focus of a recently completed documentary film. Monir’s work has been collected by institutions around the world, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, NY and Abu Dhabi, UAE; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C; Tate Modern, London, UK; Sharjah Art Foundatoion, UAE; and QAGOMA, Brisbane, Australia.
     
    In December 2017, the Monir Museum, the first museum in Iran dedicated to a single female artist, opened in Tehran. Committed to the exhibition, preservation, and study of the artist’s work, the Monir Museum is home to over fifty pieces from the artist’s personal collection. Monir was known in international art circles as a visionary, charismatic, and uncompromising artist. She passed away peacefully in her home in April 2019, aged 96.
     

    Artist CV (PDF)

  • Works
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Gabbeh, 2009 Mirror, reverse-painted glass, and plaster on wood 37 x 59.5 x 2 inches
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Gabbeh, 2009
      Mirror, reverse-painted glass, and plaster on wood
      37 x 59.5 x 2 inches
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EGabbeh%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2009%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EMirror%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Ereverse-painted%20glass%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eand%20plaster%20on%20wood%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E37%20x%2059.5%20x%202%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Untitled (Square), 2011 Mirror, reverse-painted glass, and plaster on wood 28 x 31.5 inches
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Untitled (Square), 2011
      Mirror, reverse-painted glass, and plaster on wood
      28 x 31.5 inches
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EUntitled%20%28Square%29%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2011%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EMirror%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Ereverse-painted%20glass%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eand%20plaster%20on%20wood%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E28%20x%2031.5%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Untitled Heptagon 18, 2016 Mirror mosaic on plexiglass 13 x 13 inches
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Untitled Heptagon 18, 2016
      Mirror mosaic on plexiglass
      13 x 13 inches
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EUntitled%20Heptagon%2018%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2016%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EMirror%20mosaic%20on%20plexiglass%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E13%20x%2013%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Untitled Nonagon 1, 2016 Mirror mosaic and reverse painted glass on plexiglass 12 x 12 inches
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Untitled Nonagon 1, 2016
      Mirror mosaic and reverse painted glass on plexiglass
      12 x 12 inches
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EUntitled%20Nonagon%201%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2016%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EMirror%20mosaic%20and%20reverse%20painted%20glass%20on%20plexiglass%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E12%20x%2012%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Square, 2008 Mirror and reverse-painted glass on plaster and wood 25.25 x 25.25 x 1.75 inches
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Square, 2008
      Mirror and reverse-painted glass on plaster and wood
      25.25 x 25.25 x 1.75 inches
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ESquare%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2008%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EMirror%20and%20reverse-painted%20glass%20on%20plaster%20and%20wood%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E25.25%20x%2025.25%20x%201.75%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Heptagon Rainbow, 2018 Mirror, reverse-painted glass on plaster and wood with reverse painted plexiglass 51 x 27.5 x 1 inches
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Heptagon Rainbow, 2018
      Mirror, reverse-painted glass on plaster and wood with reverse painted plexiglass
      51 x 27.5 x 1 inches
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EHeptagon%20Rainbow%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2018%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EMirror%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Ereverse-painted%20glass%20on%20plaster%20and%20wood%20with%20reverse%20painted%20plexiglass%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E51%20x%2027.5%20x%201%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian On Hexagon, 2013 Felt-tip pen and mirror on paper 40 x 28 inches, framed
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      On Hexagon, 2013
      Felt-tip pen and mirror on paper
      40 x 28 inches, framed
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EOn%20Hexagon%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2013%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EFelt-tip%20pen%20and%20mirror%20on%20paper%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E40%20x%2028%20inches%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eframed%3C/div%3E
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Untitled, 2015 Felt-tip pen, colored pencil and glitter on paper 33.5 x 44 inches, framed
      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Untitled, 2015
      Felt-tip pen, colored pencil and glitter on paper
      33.5 x 44 inches, framed
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMonir%20Shahroudy%20Farmanfarmaian%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EUntitled%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E2015%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EFelt-tip%20pen%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Ecolored%20pencil%20and%20glitter%20on%20paper%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E33.5%20x%2044%20inches%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eframed%3C/div%3E
  • Exhibitions
    • Ai Weiwei and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Sacred and Profane Geometries

      Ai Weiwei and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian:
      Sacred and Profane Geometries

      September 5 - October 21, 2023
      Haines Gallery proudly presents Sacred and Profane Geometries , two solo exhibitions by artists Ai Weiwei and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian . Shaped by experiences of diaspora and exile and informed...
      Read more
    • Blaze Across the Firmament

      Blaze Across the Firmament

      September 10 - October 30, 2021
      Haines Gallery proudly presents Blaze Across the Firmament , a group exhibition exploring our relationship to the heavens — those ethereal bodies that illuminate the night sky, mark our place...
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    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian and Camille Utterback: Kaleidoscope Eyes

      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian and Camille Utterback:
      Kaleidoscope Eyes

      April 4 - June 29, 2019
      Haines Gallery is proud to present Kaleidoscope Eyes , an exhibition bringing together the glittering mirrored mosaics of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian and the interactive digital installations of Camille Utterback ,...
      Read more
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Convertibles

      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Convertibles

      October 27 - December 24, 2016
      Haines Gallery is pleased to present Convertibles , our third solo exhibition of recent work by internationally acclaimed Iranian artist Monir ShahRoudy Farmanfarmaian (b. 1924, Qazvin, Iran; lives and works...
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    • Based on the Hexagon: The Recent Drawings of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

      Based on the Hexagon: The Recent Drawings of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

      May 7 - June 27, 2015
      Haines Gallery is pleased to present Based on the Hexagon: The Recent Drawings of Monir Farmanfarmaian , the artist’s second solo exhibition on the West Coast. The show is being...
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    • Fundamental Abstraction III

      Fundamental Abstraction III

      January 9 - March 1, 2014
      Haines Gallery is pleased to present Fundamental Abstraction III , a group exhibition featuring an international selection of artists concerned with the formal aspects of line, color, shape and composition...
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    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: The First Family

      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: The First Family

      October 31 - December 21, 2013
      Haines Gallery is very pleased to present the first solo exhibition of Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian here on the West Coast which coincides with her current inclusion in the...
      Read more
    • Poetics of Construction

      Poetics of Construction

      January 18 - February 23, 2013
      Our intervention with the world is invariably shaped by the composed form. Even in the seemingly limitless digital society with which we are obliged to interact, our negotiations with physical...
      Read more
  • News
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Group Exhibition, Seeing the World: Selections from the Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection The Peninsula Chicago, IL...
      News

      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Group Exhibition

      Seeing the World: Selections from the Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection
      The Peninsula Chicago, IL
      April 24 - mid-June, 2025
      Coinciding with EXPO CHICAGO 2025, The Peninsula Chicago presents Seeing the World , an exhibition featuring 46 works of art from the Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection, by artists including...
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Museum Exhibition, Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World McMullen Museum of Art,...
      News

      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Museum Exhibition

      Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World
      McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, MA
      February 9 - June 1, 2025
      Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World , a trailblazing exhibition, will be on view for the final time at its second venue in the McMullen...
    • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Museum Exhibition, Drawing as Discovery: 500 Years of Drawings and Watercolors from the Permanent Collection Memorial Art...
      News

      Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
      Museum Exhibition

      Drawing as Discovery: 500 Years of Drawings and Watercolors from the Permanent Collection
      Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, NY
      September 26, 2024 - January 12, 2025
      Drawing as Discovery: 500 Years of Drawings and Watercolors from the Permanent Collection showcases 100 stellar works selected from Memorial Art Gallery's holdings of over 2,000 drawings. The exhibition explores...
  • Press
  • Shoshi Parks, "The Bay Area's Fall Arts + Culture Calendar 2023," 7x7, August 31, 2023

    Gail O'Neill, "The beauty of Persian art and culture imbues Farmanfarmaian exhibit at the High," ArtsAtl, December 19, 2022

    Lia Picard, “The Mirror Garden brings the impressive work of Monir Farmanfarmaian to the High,” Atlanta Magazine, November 22, 2022

    Will Heinrich, “More Than 90 Art Shows and Exhibitions to See This Fall,” The New York Times, September 8, 2022

    David M. Roth, “Water & Sky @ Crown Point and Haines,” Squarecylinder.com, October 1, 2021

    “‘Khayyam Fountain’ goes for Sharjah Art Foundation showcase”, Tehran Times, June 25, 2021

    “Monir Farmanfarmaian’s towering ‘Khayyam Fountain’ now on view at Sharjah Art Foundation” The National, June 24, 2021

    “British Museum shines spotlight on MENA artists in new exhibition” Arab News, June 11, 2021

    Vincent Dowd, “The Show highlighting Iran’s rich artistic streak” BBC News, June 5, 2021

    Matthew J. Palm, “Unique partnership unites Orlando, Middle East through art,” Orlando Sentinel, January 28, 2021

    Aimee Dawson, “5,000 years in 350 objects: Victoria and Albert Museum reveals details about its epic 'immersive' Iran show,” The Art Newspaper, December 15, 2020

    “Art Guide: 12 Things To See at the Armory Show This Weekend,” Art in America, March 7, 2020

    Osman Can Yerebakan, “Art Insiders Pick the Artwork They’d Take Home from the Armory Show,” Galerie Magazine, March 5, 2020

    “Best of 2019: Our Top 15 Exhibitions Around the World,” Hyperallergic, December 24, 2019

    Katie White, “These 8 Female Artists Only Saw Their Careers Catch Fire Well Into Their 80s. Here’s How They Finally Got Their Due,” Artnet News, November 27, 2019

    Jumana Abdel-Razzaq, “Monir Farmanfarmaian exhibition to open with more than 70 of late artist's works,” Architectural Digest, October 8, 2019

    Shirin Neshat, “Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1922-2019),” Artforum, May 17, 2019

    Mikko Lautamo, “Monir Farmanfarmaian & Camille Utterback @ Haines,” Squarecylinder.com, May 10, 2019

    Jonathan Curie, “EyeJacking Culture, at Two Stunning New Exhibits,” SFWeekly, May 2, 2019

    Jason Farago, “Monir Farmanfarmaian, 96, Dies; Artist Melded Islam and the Abstract,” The New York Times, April 29, 2019

    Benjamin Sutton, “Monir Farmanfarmaian, the Iranian master of mirror mosaics, died at age 96,” Artsy, April 22, 2019

    H.G. Masters, “Obituary: Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1922-2019),” ArtAsiaPacific, April 21, 2019

    Aidan Dunne, “Patterns of light and colour that bear endless repeating,” The Irish Times, August 21, 2018

    “Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Retrospective at IMMA, Dublin,” Selections Magazine, August 16, 2018

    “Monir Farmanfarmaian at the Irish Museum of Modern Art,” Daily Sabah, August 5, 2018

    Charles Shafaieh, "Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian,” Kinfolk, 2018

    Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, “Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Sunset, Sunrise,” Artforum, May 2018

    Eleanor Heartney, “Exchange Program: The New Institute of Arab and Islamic Art,” Art in America, May 10, 2018

    HG Masters, “The Monir Museum Opens in Tehran,” ArtAsiaPacific, December 18, 2017

    Tim Cornell, “Iran’s first museum for a female artist honours nonagenarian,” The Art Newspaper, December 14, 2017

    Bryan Granger, "Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Lineages," Daily Serving, May 2, 2017

    Marina Garcia-Vasquez, "Beyond the #ArtSelfie: The Power of Reflection in Artwork," Vice Creators Project, March 7, 2017

     

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