Thursday, August 27, 2015

'Poetry in Bronze', A Documentary

Called Iran's "greatest living sculptor", Parviz Tanavoli is the subject of the documentary Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze from director Terrence Turner and producers Timothy Turner and Tandis Tanavoli. (Both Turners are the makers of the documentary Adele's Wish, about Gustav Klimt's painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.)

The film examines the life and artistic expression of Tanavoli, from formal training in Italy to emergence internationally, from the sculptor's break with Persian influence and traditions to his involvement in the 1960s in the founding of the contemporary Iranian art movement, the Saqqakhaneh School. In addition to interviews with Tanavoli, the documentary features some of the most prominent people in international art, including curators and gallery directors, art collectors, other artists, and art critics and writers. 

To date, the documentary has been screened at Wellesley College, whose Davis Museum held a comprehensive retrospective of Tanavoli's work February 10 - June 7, 2015; Sunnylands, Rancho Mirage, California; and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It will be screened September 25 at Whitechapel Gallery, and followed by a Q&A between Tanavoli and director Turner.

Here is the trailer for the film:


Immediately below is a video from the exhibition at Wellesley's Davis Museum:


Parviz Tanavoli on FaceBook


Resources

Nadim Roberts, "The Mountain Carver", Longreads Blog, Spring 2015

Sara Dehghan, "Iranian Artist Parviz Tanavoli's 'Heech Garden' Exhibit Mixes Old with New", Voice of America, April 14, 105


Firouzeh Mirrazavi, "Parviz Tanavoli: Half a Century of Art in U.S. Museum", Iran Review, February 8, 2015

Amelia Smith, "Iran's Most Celebrated Visual Artist, Parviz Tanavoli, Speaks to MEMO about His Work", Middle East Monitor, February 3, 2015.

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