Manoucher Yektai's Landscapes Exhibition at Karma Showcases Iranian-American Artist's Defiant Figuration

Karma in New York is presenting an exhibition titled Landscapes featuring works by the late Iranian-American artist Manoucher Yektai, who passed away in 2022. The show includes paintings created between 1956 and 1992, highlighting Yektai's unique approach that contrasted with the dominant Abstract Expressionist movement of his time. Born in Iran, Yektai embarked on a journey in the 1940s, initially aiming for Paris to study Post-Impressionists like Cézanne, but ended up in Los Angeles before traveling to New York City. He later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Art Students League in New York. His paintings depict scenes from Manhattan, upstate New York, Vermont, Long Island, and Positano, blending semi-figurative elements with influences from artists such as Bonnard, Matisse, and Cézanne. Notable works include Landscape of Italy (1958), 95th Street Landscape (1958), and Saratoga Landscape (1959), which use vivid colors and gestural brushstrokes to convey memory and mobility. Yektai's practice was shaped by his experiences of drift and displacement, infusing his landscapes with a poetic subjectivity. The exhibition runs until 9 November, offering a retrospective of his decades-long productivity.