Parviz Tanavoli (b. 1937) is regarded as one of the greatest living Iranian artists. Throughout his life he has been fascinated by lions, both as represented in works of art that he has collected and as a subject for his own masterpieces.

The solo exhibition Parviz Tanavoli and the Lions of Iran, held at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in 2017, was therefore one of the highlights in what has been an illustrious career. The exhibition was accompanied by a lavishly illustrated catalogue, that includes a chapter by the Iran Heritage Foundation's CEO Dr John Curtis on lions in ancient Iran, which you can read here.