Monir 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.