Massoumeh Seyhoun is my beloved aunt. She is the woman who taught me about the magic of life and encouraged me to draw.

A passionate spirit and guiding beacon to the artist community in Iran, she founded  the art gallery that bears her name and gave opportunities to hundreds of young, unknown artists. Today, many of these artists are considered to be the most important in contemporary Iranian art such as Sohrab Sepehri, Reza Mafi and Alireza Espahbod. She continued to support and nurture young artists after spending nearly a year in Evin prison in Tehran, 1981-1982. I witnessed her arrest in our house.

This portrait was a challenging work. I started early in 2008 and after numerous modifications, put it aside and finally finished it in June 2009. For this study I used four different photographs of my aunt ranging in age from a teenager to her mid-30s. The result seems to be an ageless Masoumeh, the one I remember ever since my memory began, boundless and beautiful. The challenge was just that; capturing her.

Ink on printed paper with tintype

32 1/4 x 23  inches

81.9 x 58.4 cm

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