Parviz Tanavoli
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Parviz Tanavoli is an Iranian sculptor now resident in Canada. He was born in Tehran, Iran in 1937.
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[edit] Academic career
Upon graduating from the Brera Academy of Milan in 1959, he taught sculpting for three years at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He then returned to Iran and assumed the directorship of the sculpting department at the University of Tehran, a position he held for 18 years until 1979, when he retired from his teaching duties.
[edit] Exhibitions
Since 1989 he has lived and worked in Vancouver. His latest solo exhibition was a retrospective held in 2003 at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Prior to that he had held acclaimed solo exhibitions in Austria, Italy, Germany, the United States, Britain and numerous other countries. Similarly, his group exhibitions have been held on three continents. His work has been displayed at the British Museum; 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; Shiraz University, Iran; and in numerous other prestigious venues around the world.
[edit] Influences
He has been influenced heavily by his country's history and culture and traditions, (he was once cultural advisor to the Queen of Iran) and has always been fascinated with locksmithing, which adds a dimension to his work.
[edit] Politics and art
In 2005, he created a small piece of sculpture called "Heech in a Cage" to protest the conditions of the American-held prisoners at Guantanamo Bay detainment camp and in 2006 began work on his piece to honor the victims of the Israeli-Lebanon war.
[edit] Bibliography
Tanavoli has written dozens of publications, dating back over three decades. Among these are:
- The Afshars, London (in press),
- Gabbeh: Art Underfoot, Tehran (2004),
- Tribal and Rustic Weaves from Varamin, Tehran (2003),
- Persian Flat-Weaves, London. (2002),
- Horse and Camel Trappings from Tribal Iran, Tehran (1998)
- Sofreh of Kamo, Tehran (1996),
- Kings, Heroes and Lovers, London (1994),
- Shahsavan: Iranian Rugs and Textiles, New York, Switzerland (1985),
- Locks from Iran, Washington DC (1977).
