Lot 169: Heptagone

Monir Farmanfarmian (Iranian, b. 1924)
Heptagone
signed and dated 'Monir F.F. 76 TEHRAN.IRAN' and signed and dated in Farsi (on the reverse)
mirror and reverse-glass painting on wood
42½in. (108cm. diameter)
Executed in 1976

The present lot is a rare example of Monir Farmanfarmian's work that predates the Iranian Revolution. Most of Farmanfarmian's works inside Iran were lost or destroyed during the Revolution.

This piece recalls the minimalism of the work her friend and colleague Frank Stella, but employs the traditional Iranian technique of mirror mosaic and reverse glass painting. A similar slightly smaller example is illustrated in Rose Issa, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Mosiacs of Mirrors, Iran 2006, p. 101.