Monir Farmanfarmaian

Rose Issa Projects, London
Private Collection, London
Sale: Sotheby's, London, Contemporary Art / Arab and Iranian, October 4, 2011, lot 32
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

London, Rose Issa Projects, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Recent Works, October - November 2010, p. 99, illustrated in colour

This work is in very good condition. There is a small crack to the mirror adjacent to bottom right corner of the work as well as a minor chip below the central axis, all of which are in keeping with the artist's choice of medium and working process. There are some very faint and unobtrusive rub marks to the mirror that are only visible upon close inspection. The catalogue illustration fails to convey the reflective nature of the mirrors.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

“Monir has never fitted any classification, any art movement, any school of thought;  her work, free from human tragedy, sentimentally and political statements, has a recognisable universal idiom. Hers is the journey of a passionate artist who has always admired the unexplored geometry, craftsmanship and aesthetics of her country.” Rose Issa, 2012 

Monir Farmanfarmian is a pioneer in the Modern and Contemporary Iranian art movements. She has been, and still remains, one of the greatest sources of inspiration and reverence for the current generation of Middle Eastern artists, who take her craft as a true stepping stone in their own careers.

Farmanfarmaian’s artwork draws inspiration from classical Iranian culture and tradition, which is translated both conceptually and in the technical execution of her works. The intriguing combination of the traditional with the avant-garde creates an elegantly distinctive style which the artist applies to reinterpret Islamic geometric designs in a variety of mediums, often using glass or mirror as her primary support.

Farmanfarmaian’s curiosity and thirst for cultural exploration fuelled her extensive travels within Iran during which she studied the crafts of nomadic tribes and visited various ancient cities, looking closely at the intricate Islamic architectural ornamentation. To design her elaborate, three dimensional panels, the artist worked with local craftsmen who helped her draft preliminary patterns and designs. Following her travels, Farmanfarmaian started to experiment with the techniques and methods she had observed, adapting reverse-glass painting, Khatam kari (inlaid marquetry), Aineh-kari (mirror mosaics), and typical Persian motifs, to create modern minimalist geometric artworks, each piece mesmerisingly kaleidoscopic in nature. Mirror work and mosaics were a defining decorative feature of Persian aristocratic homes and palaces of the 17^th and 18^th Century from which she drew most of her inspiration. The Hall of Mirrors in the Golestan Palace in Tehran and the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad are two prime examples of this ornamentation, and Farmanfarmaian's work is strongly reminiscent of these highly styles and decorated rooms. 

Through her work Farmanfarmaian reinvents the idea of mirror mosaics, transforming and elevating its purpose from decoration to an individual art form in its own right. The artist’s use of the mirror acts to record her own life experiences, each fragment reflecting the surrounding world, referring to notions of one’s self, nostalgia and memories. Her work also explores different notions of Sufi symbolism; as a reflection of the self, the mirror is also variously associated with purity, brightness, symmetry, veracity and fortune. Due to the nature of Farmanfarmaian’s compositions, tessellating patterns give the impression of unending repetition, a symbol of infinity and the boundless nature and wisdom of God. Her artwork is a spiritual and visual amalgamation of Persian elements translated through her innately recognisable visual vocabulary to create cutting edge work with a modern aesthetic, resulting in an ever widening global audience that is fully able to appreciate Farmanfarmaian’s rich cultural heritage.

Monir Farmanfarmaian was awarded the Gold Medal for her solo exhibition in the Iranian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1958 and more recently, she was granted the Jameel Prize in 2009. An acclaimed exhibition of her works was recently at the WIELS in Brussels. A highly anticipated retrospective dedicated to her geometric mirror works and drawings was held at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto, from October 2014 to January 2015 and will travel to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, opening in March 2015. The artist’s works are featured in several public collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum and Tate Modern in London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Grey Art Gallery in New York, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.

“The harmonious division of a circle is a symbolic way of expressing the Tawhid, the Divine Unity as the source and culmination of all diversity.” Titus Burchhardt