Faramarz Pilaram (Iran, 1937-1982) Birds of Paradise (Morghe Baghe Malakoot) oil, ink and metallic paint on canvas signed and dated (lower left) in Farsi 80 x 180cm (31 1/2 x 70 7/8in). Footnotes: Provenance: Property from a private collection, Dubai Christies, Dubai: Modern and Contemporary Art: Now and Ten 2016, Lot 27 Galerie Seyhoun, Tehran Acquired from the above by Akbar and Sousan Seif Naseri circa 1985. Exhibited: Tehran, Galerie Seyhoun, Group show, circa 1985. 'Pilaram started his painting career almost simultaneously with Zenderoudi. Pilaram has a tendency for larger forms, and a preference for gold colouring' Karim Emami 'The combination of calligraphic elements and architectural forms creates a unity in my mind that promotes an authentic Iranian identity' – Faramarz Pilaram 1975 Sublime, overpowering and elaborate, Faramarz Pilaram's immense composition 'Birds of Paradise', inspired by Iran's popular religious aesthetic, is a quintessential expression of the Saqqakhaneh school which dominated Iranian modernism in the latter part of the 20th century, and of which Pilaram was a seminal founding member. Captivated and inspired by the overt, spiritual imagery of the Iranian urban landscape. Pilaram and the exponents of the Saqqa Khaneh style, like Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, extracted the visual elements of popular religion in Iran and gave them a stylistic framework, synthesizing what once served as a informal ritual practice into a mature artistic language Whilst Zenderoudi's works focused on the intricate, calligrapho-geometric text based elements of religious talismans and mystical poetry, Pilaram instead concentrated on the more architectural, physical and grand scale ritual elements of Iranian religious pageantry. Pilaram's compositions capture the essence of Iran's passionate impulse for ritual, public expression. Pilaram attended Tehran's School of Decorative Arts for, founded in 1951 by Jalil Zia'pur and a group of artists. His teachers at the newly established school included Mahmoud Farschian who taught him traditional miniature painting. He received his diploma in 1959 and went on to continue his art education at the Faculty of Decorative Arts, graduating in 1965. Pilaram began exhibiting his paintings while still at college and was soon recognized as one of the most significant artists of his generation. In 1963, the journalist and art critic Karim Emami identified Pilaram 'as the core exponent' of the Saqqā-ḵāna School of Art. Pilaram's career along with other Saqqā-ḵāna artists coincided with the opening of the Tehran Biennials. Their works went on to be celebrated in various national and international venues. Pilaram's works were included in almost all major Iranian modernist exhibitions (Afšār Mohājer, pp. 201-10). Pilaram, along with Mansur Qandriz, Ṣādeq Tabrizi, Morteza Momayyez, and Massoud Arabshahi played a pivotal role in the establishment of Tālār-e Iran in 1964 Pilaram received his master's degree in painting and interior design from the Faculty of Decorative Arts in 1968. In 1971 he won a scholarship to study lithography and print in France for a year. He later held an exhibition in Galerie Cyrus at the Maison de l'Iran, Paris in 1972. Upon his return, he became an associate professor at Dāneškada-ye ʿelm o ṣanʿat. In 1974 Pilaram along with Marcos Grigorian, Morteza Momayyez, Ḡolām-Ḥosayn Nāmi (b. 1936), Massoud Arabshahi, Sirāk Malkoniān (b. 1931), and ʿAbd-al-Reżā Daryābeigi (b.1930) formed 'Goruh-e naqqāšān-e āzād' (The group of independent artists). Pilaram was expelled from his teaching job at ʿElm o ṣanʿat University in 1981. Disappointed by the socio-political upheavals of the time, accused and disrespected by students whom he had cherished for years, Pilaram became extremely despondent in the final years of his life. In 1983, he died of a massive heart attack in Maḥmud Ābād, Māzandarān, and was quietly buried in the Behešt-e Zahrā Cemetery in Tehran. His untimely death was a severe blow to the Iranian art community. Pilaram was the recipient of several national and International awards including the 1962 Gold Medal at the 3rd Tehran Biennial, the Silver Medal at Venice Biennial at the same year, the First Prize from the Ministry of Art and Culture at the 4th Tehran Biennial 1964, and the First Prize for a Special Stamp issued by UNESCO for the'World Liberation of Hunger' in 1968. Pilaram's works are included in the collections of Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art; Tehran Fine Arts Museum; Jahān-namā Museum at Sāḥeb-qarānia Palace; Grey Art Collection at New York University; Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Queen Farah Pahlavi's Private Collection. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com