Nightingale (To Abby), 1974
In Persian poetry and decorative arts, the nightingale—who sings endlessly of his longing and devotion—symbolizes the quintessential lover. Fittingly, Tanavoli dedicated this work to Abby Weed Grey, founder of the Grey Art Gallery at New York University, who avidly collected Tanavoli’s work, amassing nearly 80 objects by him.