Untitled

Expand

IIIFView PDF

Untitled

Artist Monir Farmanfarmaian Iranian, 1924-2019

Date2014

Dimensions39 1/2 × 27 1/2 in. (100.3 × 69.9 cm)

MediumFelt-tipped marker on paper

ClassificationDrawings

Credit LineOrion Fund

Object number

2018.27

Not on View

Published ReferencesObrist, Hans Ulbrich, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmian: Works on Paper, Berlin, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, 2015, pg. 99.Label TextCombining geometric pattern with floral motifs, Monir Farmanfarmaian’s work is inspired by Islamic geometry, modern abstraction, and the natural world. Here, a grid of hexagons is overlaid with a symmetrical design of curving plant forms. This integration of floral elements over an organized grid exposes the close relationship between the natural world and geometric structure and expresses Monir’s love of both the formal Persian garden and the geometric themes found in Islamic architecture and decorative arts. Drawings have been consistently part of Monir’s artistic practice since the 1940s, when she studied fashion illustration in New York City. This drawing shows the strong relationship between her 2D and 3D works and her practice of working out ideas on paper before translating them to her sculptures (see her Aram nearby). Her art reflects a life lived between two cultures. She combines the rich patterns and craftsmanship found in her native Iran with the contemporary art of the New York avant-garde, of which she was a part in the 1950s.