Ardeshir Mohasses, (Iran, 1938-2008)

Homage to Sani Ol Molk

Homage to Sani Ol Molk
crayon on paper, framed
signed and dated "1977" in Farsi (lower right), executed in 1977
20 x 22cm (7 7/8 x 8 11/16in).

A RARE AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT GROUP OF WORKS BY ARDESHIR MOHASSESS FROM PRIVATE FAMILY COLLECTIONS

"I don't believe in an ideal society... as there is no need for me in such a society" - Ardeshir Mohassess

"If we are to take "caricature" to be an ironic exaggeration of facts then Aredshir is most certainly not a caricaturist. At least for us, the neighbours, and fellow-sufferers of the familiar faces in his works, Ardeshir will, in his capacity as an artist, remain a sharp-sighted realist, a portraitist of facts, a painter of history" – Ahmad Shamlu

Provenance:
Property from a private collection, New York

Bonhams has the distinct privilege of presenting works from some of the most significant private collections of Ardeshir Mohasses' inimitable drawings and sketches. Mohassess combined artistic ingenuity with political satire to create shrewd, gripping images that reference and scrutinise key episodes in Iran's turbulent past. Mohasses' professional background as a journalistic cartoonist shaped both the aesthetic and subject matter of his works.

Depicted in the form of pictorial vignettes, the miniature size and simple format of his sketches present the viewer with clear, succinct commentaries on a personal scale. The majority of Mohasses' work contains acerbic, alarming and often disturbing imagery chronicling the social and civil turmoil plaguing Iran throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the present sketches are a unique, highly significant grouping from his most creatively fertile period during the 1970's

Ardeshir Mohassess was born in Iran in 1938 and began drawing early in his childhood. In the 1960s, after receiving a degree in political science from Tehran University, he worked as an illustrator for Iranian journals and newspapers. Soon after, his drawings began to appear in major international newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times. In 1976, Mohassess left Iran for what he planned as a temporary stay in the United States. However, with the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 Mohassess chose to remain in New York, where he lived until his passing in 2008.