An art collection by outstanding Iranian sculptor and painter Parviz Tanavoli opened on Friday (May 20) at Tehran’s Shahrivar Gallery.
The exhibition features 10 never-seen paintings and three pop sculptures, newly created by Tanavoli in 2016, the Persian art magazine ‘Tandis’ reported.
The event marks the 50th anniversary of pop art in the artist’s style, said director of the gallery, Amirhossein Zandi.
“The first pop art show by Tanavoli was held over five decades ago in Tehran’s Borghese Gallery. Now after a long time, his latest works are on show again.”
According to him, pop art is still alive among artists, from Tanavoli to American visual artist Jeffry Koons. “What is interesting in the upcoming show is that besides portraying special characteristics of pop art, Tanavoli has connected the world’s famous faces to the Farsi word ‘Heech’ (literally nothing) which has mostly been the subject of his works. The aim of this connection is to imply that the human being is mortal, whether he is poor, powerful or famous.”
In addition to the selected works, Tanavoli’s new collection of handmade silkscreen prints will also be put on show at the gallery.
Parviz Tanavoli, 79, is also an art scholar and collector. On graduating from the Brera Academy of Milan in 1959, Tanavoli taught sculpture for three years at the US Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He then returned to Iran and assumed the directorship of the Sculpture Department at the University of Tehran, a position he held for 18 years until 1979, when he retired from teaching.
Tanavoli’s work has been auctioned around the world, making him one of the most expensive living Iranian artists.
The exhibition will run through June 17 at the gallery, located at No. 9, Hormoz dead-end, North Khazar Ave., Elahieh neighborhood.
