Iranian Art in Exile: An Interview with Nicky Nodjoumi

An interview with Iranian painter-in-exile Nicky Nodjoumi, whose work is on display in New York until January 5. Video: PBS Newshour via YouTube.

Iranian painter Nicky Nodjoumi left his country in 1980 after an exhibition of his work opened in Tehran. “[The authorities] saw the show and they labeled me as anti-revolution, anti-Khomeini, and anti-regime,” he says. But, after living in New York for many years now, Nodjoumi’s work has been featured in two recent exhibitions.

A new collection, Chasing the Butterfly and Other Recent Paintings, was shown at the Taymour Grahne Gallery from September through October. In addition, New York’s Asia Society is currently presenting Iran Modern, an exhibition of 26 modern Iranian artists that includes several of Nodjoumi’s earlier paintings. Iran Modern is open until January 5.

In this video interview, Hari Sreenivasan of PBS Newshour speaks with Nodjoumi about his art and the situation in which he left Iran. Sreenivasan also discusses the history of modern Iranian art with Melissa Chiu, Director of New York’s Asia Society.