1. Parviz Tanavoli is an Iranian sculptor, painter, educator, and art historian.
13 Facts About Parviz Tanavoli
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Parviz Tanavoli is a pioneer within the Saqqakhaneh school of art, a neo-traditionalist art movement.
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Since 1989, Parviz Tanavoli has held dual nationality and has lived and worked both in Tehran, and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Parviz Tanavoli continued his studies in Italy at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara in 1956 to 1957; as well as at Brera Academy in Milan from 1958 to 1959.
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From February 1961 to 1964, Parviz Tanavoli taught sculpture for three years at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, as a guest of art collector Abby Grey.
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Parviz Tanavoli then returned to Iran and assumed the directorship of the sculpture department at the Tehran University, a position he held for 18 years until 1979 when he retired from his teaching duties.
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Parviz Tanavoli is the main figure and the key member of the Saqqakhaneh group of artists who share a common popular aesthetic, according to the scholar Karim Emami.
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Parviz Tanavoli has been influenced heavily by his country's history and culture, and traditions and has always been fascinated with locksmithing.
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Parviz Tanavoli was once a cultural advisor to the Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi.
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In 2003, Tanavoli turned his Tehran house into the "Museum of Parviz Tanavoli," showcasing his personal art collection, which was only open for a few months due to political issues in Iran.
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Parviz Tanavoli's work has been auctioned worldwide, leading to over $9 million in overall sales, making him the most expensive living Iranian artist.
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Parviz Tanavoli's work has been displayed at the Tate Modern, British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Grey Art Gallery - New York University, the Isfahan City Center, Nelson Rockefeller Collection, New York, Olympic Park, Seoul, South Korea, the Royal Museum of Jordan, the Museum of Modern Art, Vienna, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Hamline University, St Paul and Shiraz University, Iran.
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Parviz Tanavoli has authored over forty publications dating back over four decades.