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Lot Essay
Bahman Mohassess is one of the most acclaimed Iranian Modernists, whose life intrigued many art critics and collectors, as he remained reclusive and mingled with only a few friends and artists. A dedicated and passionate artist, writer, poet and a celebrated translator of literary works, he fought his own demons through life and as a result burned and destroyed a great number of his paintings, collages, drawings and sculptures, leaving behind only a handful of works. Other works created before the Revolution were intentionally destroyed by officials as they were said to be decadent and socially provocative. Considered a pioneer and influential artist since the 1960s, the recent release of an intimate and insightful documentary by Mitra Farahani, Fifi howls from happiness, shed light on the last days of his life in Rome and most importantly on his extraordinary sensitivity and unequalled intelligence, highlighting his enigmatic personality, life and career.
Trained as an apprentice in the atelier of Seyyed Mohammed Habib Mohammedi in Tehran, Mohassess enrolled at the Fine Art Academy in Tehran in the 1950s, but rarely attended classes, preferring to them the gatherings of the Cockfight art and culture society that was established by the Modern and socialist artist Jalil Ziapour and his involvement in the editorial line of literary and art weekly Panjeh Khoroos (Rooster Foot). As such, Mohassess, a progressive artist at heart, he took part in the avant-garde trends of the Iranian art society early in his life and worked closely with artists such as Nima Yooshij, considered by many the father of Modern Persian poetry and Sohrab Sepehri.
Following the coup against Mossadegh in 1953 and the somewhat cultural revolution that led to a wave of censorship within the artistic scene in the capital, Mohassess settled in Italy, a country that would inevitably become his home. In Rome, he attended classes at the Fine Art Academy then returned to Tehran temporarily, a time during which he was selected to participate to the Venice, Sao Paulo and Tehran Biennales and directed plays, including Pirandello's Henry IV at the Goethe Institute and Ghandriz Hall in Tehran. In 1968, Mohassess eventually returned to Rome.
In his captivating works, Bahman Mohassess delicately pours his vision of humanity and existence. Known for his Surrealist-like paintings that reveal his constructed mythology and reference various fables and legends, his works immerse the viewer into a fantastical world and his subjects become a phantasmagorical stage for the expression of his imagination. The present work, a charming and elegant portrait of a pregnant lady painted in 1974 with a palette of pastel hues evokes the inner serenity and softness of his model. Her disproportionate features and remaining traces of facial features are reminscent of Mohassess' signature style and expression of his own magical universe. Following an afternoon spent with his close friend and confidant's family, he went home to paint this delicate, yet highly texturised, portrait of his friend's expecting spouse and gifted them the painting upon their encounter the following week, as a gift in honour of their new-born child and a sign of his everlasting affection. The intimacy that is intricate in the present work is undeniably a reflection of the cherished relationship between the artist and the present owner. The striking and fine portrait carries along a sense of delight and serenity, that reveals the sensibility, the compassion and the kindheartedness of an often misunderstood Bahman Mohassess.
Trained as an apprentice in the atelier of Seyyed Mohammed Habib Mohammedi in Tehran, Mohassess enrolled at the Fine Art Academy in Tehran in the 1950s, but rarely attended classes, preferring to them the gatherings of the Cockfight art and culture society that was established by the Modern and socialist artist Jalil Ziapour and his involvement in the editorial line of literary and art weekly Panjeh Khoroos (Rooster Foot). As such, Mohassess, a progressive artist at heart, he took part in the avant-garde trends of the Iranian art society early in his life and worked closely with artists such as Nima Yooshij, considered by many the father of Modern Persian poetry and Sohrab Sepehri.
Following the coup against Mossadegh in 1953 and the somewhat cultural revolution that led to a wave of censorship within the artistic scene in the capital, Mohassess settled in Italy, a country that would inevitably become his home. In Rome, he attended classes at the Fine Art Academy then returned to Tehran temporarily, a time during which he was selected to participate to the Venice, Sao Paulo and Tehran Biennales and directed plays, including Pirandello's Henry IV at the Goethe Institute and Ghandriz Hall in Tehran. In 1968, Mohassess eventually returned to Rome.
In his captivating works, Bahman Mohassess delicately pours his vision of humanity and existence. Known for his Surrealist-like paintings that reveal his constructed mythology and reference various fables and legends, his works immerse the viewer into a fantastical world and his subjects become a phantasmagorical stage for the expression of his imagination. The present work, a charming and elegant portrait of a pregnant lady painted in 1974 with a palette of pastel hues evokes the inner serenity and softness of his model. Her disproportionate features and remaining traces of facial features are reminscent of Mohassess' signature style and expression of his own magical universe. Following an afternoon spent with his close friend and confidant's family, he went home to paint this delicate, yet highly texturised, portrait of his friend's expecting spouse and gifted them the painting upon their encounter the following week, as a gift in honour of their new-born child and a sign of his everlasting affection. The intimacy that is intricate in the present work is undeniably a reflection of the cherished relationship between the artist and the present owner. The striking and fine portrait carries along a sense of delight and serenity, that reveals the sensibility, the compassion and the kindheartedness of an often misunderstood Bahman Mohassess.