A boutique dedicated to the oeuvre of an Iranian American painter, sculptor, and printmaker will host its grand opening in Reston Town Center next month (Nov. 9) from 3 to 5 p.m.
Nasser Ovissi, a former diplomat and cultural attaché under Iran’s former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, settled in Reston in the 1980s, opening a studio that has since become an artist collective.
“He created most of his art in this town that we love. We are absolutely Restonians,” said Maryam Ovissi, the artist’s daughter and director of the Ovissi Boutique.
The boutique arose partly out of a need to be around art made by local artists, according to Maryam, who is also the founder and trustee of the Ovissi Foundation.
Proceeds from sales at the boutique will benefit the foundation, which provides grants and awards to foundations and artists who are based in the U.S. but have Iranian heritage or promote Iranian art and culture.
“His advice is always to support, especially children and young people with creative talent, because that’s what happened to him,” Maryam said of her father.
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1934, Nasser Ovissi was primarily self-taught, realizing his passion for art at age 6 when a friend’s parent recognized his talent and nurtured it by giving him a set of color pencils. Many years later, his work would be exhibited alongside that of surrealist master Salvador Dalí in Madrid, Spain.
When he was 20, his career skyrocketed after his artwork was purchased by the last empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi, who was known for championing both Iranian and western art and establishing multiple museums, including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, with the collections she procured during her husband’s reign.
Like many other Iranians, Nasser Ovissi fled to the U.S. in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the U.S.-backed monarchy and replaced it with an Islamic government hostile to western influences.
Alongside Nasser Ovissi’s work, the Ovissi Boutique showcases the creations of 20 other Iranian artists. Within the confines of its colored walls are jewelry pieces inspired by Farsi script; art pieces made with metals, textiles and ceramics and paintings on canvas and paper. There are also functional pieces for homes.
The boutique offers price points for everyone — from jewelry around $20 to $20,000 for one of her father’s original works, Maryam says.
ArtsFairfax, Fairfax County’s local art agency, expects the new boutique will be a great contribution to the local art scene.
“ArtsFairfax celebrates the arts organizations and businesses that reflect Fairfax’s multicultural identity,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt said. “We are thrilled that the boutique will open at Reston Town Center and that both locals and cultural tourists will experience Ovissi’s beautiful work.”
Developer and property manager BXP echoed that sentiment, stating that it’s “pleased to welcome” the gallery to Reston Town Center.
“The gallery celebrates creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and connection to the local Reston community, introducing a unique offering to our growing retail mix,” BXP Vice President of Leasing Stephanie Friedman said.
Supporting the arts is essential for them to thrive, says Maryam, who has worked in arts management philanthropy for the Boston Museum, the Museum of Asian Art in San Francisco and others.
“Without supporting the arts, the arts will not progress and have space to exist,” she said.
According to his daughter, Nasser Ovissi is known for blending Persian and western themes and being a leader in Saqqakhaneh, a contemporary Iranian art movement that began in the 1960s. His use of color stands out in works that revisit a recurring theme of the Aryan woman and her relationship to the natural world.
“The woman, the pomegranate and the horse is iconic Ovissi,” Maryam said. “It’s like a trinity of the animal, the human and the plant. Like a harmony among these dimensions of our world. We can’t exist — one without the other.”
The works are also a nod to old Persian paintings, ceramics and indigenous stories, which often have horses and women as a common theme. Signed reproductions of “Woman Serenading Her Horse” and “Sharzad and Her Horse” are for sale at the boutique.
She challenges patrons to find the work that brings them the most joy.
“When you come in here, I hope your experience is you feel that joy. There’s an uplift of energy,” Maryam said. “When you are among the art, it’s hard to (feel) down, by the nature of his work.”
She says her father, now 91, has always believed his responsibility is to bring beauty.
“He always said, ‘You can focus on all the things that are wrong or you can do your best to bring good and beauty into this world,'” she said.
The Ovissi Boutique is located in the former PNC Bank storefront at 11932 Democracy Drive. Prints, books, jewelry and other items can also be purchased online at galleryovissi.com/boutique.
