Parviz Tanavoli was born in Tehran in 1937. He trained at Tehran’s High School for Fine Arts and the Accademia di Belle Arti, Carrara, Italy, and from 1958 to 1960 worked under Marino Marini at the Brera Academy in Milan. After a spell of teaching at the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design, USA, he returned to Iran, where he was head of sculpture at Tehran University until 1979. He is now Iran’s foremost sculptor and lives in Tehran and Vancouver, Canada. Hands and Grille is one of Tanavoli’s first medals. The artist explains: ‘I was inspired by Shi’ite Pilgrims who grab the grilles of shrines and talk to their Imam and ask him for help.’