Manoucher Yektai

Manoucher Yektai (December 22, 1921 – November 19, 2019) was an American artist. A member of the New York School of artists, Yektai's paintings synthesized diverse influences from the United States, France, and Iran into works that trouble distinctions between abstraction and representation.

Early life and education Born in Tehran, Iran, Yektai dropped out of Tehran University without obtaining a degree. Between 1945 and 1947, he studied with Amédée Ozenfant in Paris, and later in New York City. From 1946 to 1947, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at the atelier of André Lhote. From 1947 to 1948, he studied at the Art Students League of New York.

Career Yektai has many works in North American and European collections and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and numerous private collections such as the Yellowstone Art Museum.

Personal life Yektai was married to Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian from 1950 to 1953. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1959. In 1968, he married Helene Kulukundis Yektai, an author and illustrator of children's books. They remained married until his death in 2019 and had four children.

He died at the age of 97 in New York City on November 19, 2019.

Selected solo exhibitions

1949: Woodstock, New York 1951, 1952, 1953: Grace Borgenicht Gallery, Inc., New York City 1956: American Associated Artists, New York City 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964: Poindexter Gallery, New York City 1959: Felix Landau Gallery Los Angeles County, California 1960,1961, 1963, 1965: Semia Huber Gallery, Zürich, Switzerland 1962: Anderson Meyer Gallery, Paris; Feingarten Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1961, 1962, 1964, 1970: Picadilly Gallery, London, United Kingdom 1965, 1966, (67: Gertrude Kasle Gallery, Detroit, Michigan 1966. 1967, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1996: Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, New York 1977, 1978: Galerie Zand, Teheran, Iran 1981, 1984: Alex Rosenberg Gallery, New York City 1988: Paris - New York: Kent Fine Art, Kent, Connecticut