Timeline

1937

Born in Tehran

1955

Graduated from Tehran School of Fine Arts

1958

Won the sculpture prize at the First Tehran Biennial

1959

Graduated from Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milan

1960

Won the Royal Prize at the Second Tehran Biennial

Taught at the College of Decorative Arts, Tehran

Opened Atelier Kaboud, Tehran

1961 - 1963

Taught sculpture at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design

1961

Founded the Iranian Artists Group with five other painters

Organised a group exhibition of fourteen Iranian artists’ work that toured the US, sponsored by the Grey Foundation

1964 - 1979

Head of the Sculpture Department, University of Tehran

1967

Founded Group 5 with Sohrab Sepehri, Abolghassem Saidi, Bahman Mohasses and Hossein Zenderoudi

Organised the first sculpture exhibition by Tehran University students

Opened Rasht 29, a café for artists, with Kamran Diba and Roksana Saba

1969

Installed an outdoor bronze sculpture in Shiraz University

Installed bronze gates in Ray, in the park where Reza Shah’s mausoleum was located

1971

Visiting artist at Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota

Installed an outdoor four metre stainless-steel sculpture on Hamline University’s campus

1972

Installed the first modern public sculpture in bronze in front of City Theater, Tehran

1973

Founded Tehran Rug Society

1975 - 1992

Travelling exhibition of his collection Lion Rugs of Fars in the US, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Australia and Iran

1975

Organised Tehran Rug Society’s first exhibition, Tribal Animal Covers of Iran

1976

Installed an outdoor metal sculpture in Dakar, Senegal

Organised Tehran Rug Society’s second exhibition, Lori and Bakhtiyari Flatweaves

Travelling exhibition in the US of his collection of pre-Islamic to early twentieth-century Iranian locks

Travelled to Africa to select artworks from seven West African countries

1977

Organised the exhibition, The Art of Black Africa, in Bagh-Ferdows Heritage Building, Tehran

1978

Exhibition of pile-woven pictorial rugs designed by Tanavoli at Zand Gallery, Tehran

1979

Retires from Tehran University. From 1989, lives and works in Vancouver and Tehran

1986 - 1997

Travelling exhibition, Kings, Heroes, and Lovers: Pictorial Rugs from the Tribes and Villages of Iran, of his rug collection in the US, Germany and Switzerland

1986

Exhibition of gabbeh rugs designed by Tanavoli at Bessim Gallery, Vienna

1997

Received the Joseph V. McMullan Award from the Near Eastern Art Research Center, Washington, DC

2000

Travelling exhibition of his ancient to twentieth-century collection of Persian steel objects in Oxford, London, Dublin, Paris, Vancouver and Victoria

2002

Chairman, Third Tehran Sculpture Biennial

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran

The City Theater, Tehran

Shiraz University Campus, Shiraz

St. John University, Collegeville, Minnesota

Sculpture Garden of Khaneh-ye Honarmandan (The Artists’ Home), Tehran

The Royal Society of Fine Arts, Amman

Qatar National Museum, Doha

Olympic Park, Seoul

Noor Foundation, London

Nelson Rockefeller Collection, New York

London Business School, London

Museum of Modern Art, Vienna

Museum of Modern Art, New York

Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis

Mellat Park, Tehran

Esfahan City Center

Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota

Grey Art Gallery, New York University, New York

Forum Ludwig, Aachen

Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), Dubai

British Museum, London

Collections

University Art Museum, Iowa

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis