Monir Farmanfarmaian

Iranian, 1924-2019

BiographyMonir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (born 1924, Qazvin, Iran)
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 City avant-garde (of which she
was a part in the 1950's). Her intricate mirror mosaic sculptures and
drawings are inspired by Islamic geometry and modern abstraction
as well as the natural world, and explore the interactions between
complex decoration, light, and reflection.
Monir’s artistic studies began at the University of Tehran in the
1940's. Determined to continue her education abroad, and in spite of
the difficult international travel conditions during World War II, she
made her way to the United States. There she studied at Parsons
School of Design (fashion illustration), Cornell University, and the
Art Student League. These years were energized by interactions
with artists such as Frank Stella, Joan Mitchell, Milton Avery, and
Andy Warhol, with her work centered on fashion illustration and
drawing. She returned home in 1957 to a period of burgeoning
cultural awareness in Iran, building her own significant collection of
narrative coffee house paintings and reverse paintings on glass, and
exploring the studios of traditional craftsmen.
A visit to the holy Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz, Iran in the mid-
Works of Art for Consideration Toledo Museum of Art
1970's marked a turning point for Monir. Entirely covered with
mirrors cut into hexagons, squares, and triangles, the brilliant
interior inspired her exploration of abstract sculpture using mirror
mosaics, sometimes painted on the reverse side. While she had been
to the Shah Cheragh previously, this particular encounter was an
epiphany for Monir and she describes it as, “a universe unto itself,
architecture transformed into performance, all movement and fluid
light, and solids fractured and dissolved in brilliance, in space, in
prayer.” She began working with skilled craftsmen who specialized
in working with mirror mosaic. She has developed her practice
through explorations with these master artisans and her own studies
of Islamic geometry and cosmology.
In 1979, Monir and her husband fled the Iranian Revolution and
spent the next 25 years in the United States. During this time, their
home in Iran was confiscated along with Monir’s artwork and their
personal collection of Iranian art left behind. In 2004, she returned
to Iran to work with her beloved craftsmen and reestablished her
studio in Tehran. She continues to make work in Tehran in 2018.

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