Marcos Grigorian Abstract Colored Pencil Portait, 1954
Item Details
Marcos (Marco) Grigorian (Iranian-Armenian, 1925 – 2007)
Untitled (abstract), 1954
Colored pencil on toned paper
Signed to the lower left
Provenance
Michel Protiva estate, nephew of the artist
Marcos Grigorian was a man of many talents, including as an artist, teacher, actor, activist, and gallery owner. Gregorian was a pioneer in the Iranian modern art scene working in a diverse array of mediums, but perhaps his most well-known being his Earthworks, which consist of large-scale compositions rendered with various natural materials; dirt and straw applied to canvas would crack and break into kinetic forms – a celebration of earth’s beauty. He is also known for his geometric shapes, especially the square, which can be seen throughout his oeuvre. Later in his life, after the death of his daughter, he explored Armenian folk art and rug weaving.
Gregorian was born in Russia to Armenian parents and moved to Iran when he was five years old. In 1950, Grigorian moved to Rome to study at the Academia di Belle Arti under cubist sculptor Roberto Melli (1885-1958). 1954 brought him back to Iran where he opened his first gallery Gallery Esthetique promoting modern, abstract, and folk art. Grigorian proceeded to go back and forth between Italy and Iran for the next couple of years where he participated in the Venice Biennale and headed the Graphic Department at the Ministry of Culture and Art in Tehran respectively. In the 1980s, Gregorian traveled back and forth between Iran and New York, eventually opening the Arshile Gorky Gallery where he exhibited Iranian and Armenian artists. Gregorian’s work is highly prized and can be found in many public collections including Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran; Museum of Fine Arts, Tehran; Agenzia Nazionale del Turistica (ENIT), Rome; Nelson Rockefeller Collection, New York; National Gallery and Near East Museum, Yerevan, Armenia; and Empress Farah Pahlavi’s Private Collection.
Condition
- embrittlement and tears to the paper to the lower left and upper right; slight warping to the sheet; scratches to the frame and glass.
Dimensions
- measures the frame; sight measures 10.25" W x 13.5" H.
Item #
ITMG878660
