Much of Parviz Tanavoli’s visual inspiration comes from Persian culture, the reality, myth and legend. The country’s rich poetic heritage, textile traditions and architecture, all feed into his sculptural works. As part of the Saqqakhaneh School of artists, he was part of the vanguard bringing modernism to Iran and creating an indigenous form of contemporary art. Common themes in Tanavoli’s work include poets, prophets, locks, lions, lovers, cages and birds.

Tanavoli’s ‘Walls of Iran’ were first created in the early 1970s and draw on the visual imagery of Sumerian and Egyptian reliefs, their cast surfaces referencing Armenian, Aramaic, Cuniform and Persian text. This unique bronze also bears cast figures seen in his paintings and bronzes of the 1960s and 70s. The surface of the work is covered with graphic symbols, which appear as script from a distance, but which are symbols of his own invention. They are his poets, his prophets and also Farhad the Mountain Carver - another critical subect in his oeuvre - all abstracted using Tanavoli’s visual language inspired by thousands of years of Persian history.

Works from 'The Wall' series can be found in several important collections including the Museum of Modern Art, Vienna; the Ludwig Museum, Aachen, Germany; The Grey Art Gallery, New York University, the City of Isfahan, and the City of Tehran.