In this episode of the Gallery Girl podcast we are joined by Laureen Topalian Bensaid, an artist based in Paris who studied at Ecole des Beaux Arts and then took on the traditional art of Persian miniature painting with French Iranian master Abbas Moayeri. Much of her work is inspired by Indian and Iranian miniature paintings, bringing this traditional artform into the contemporary.

Laureen had been drawing and collaging since childhood, but embarked on Art History studies before going to art school. “I thought it’s too much for me”, she explains “I started with theory before really knowing if I could make something serious. Of course now I am more confident.” She is still very interested in art history, particularly Persian miniature paintings, which were a favourite drawing subject for her as a child. Following her master’s degree in Art History, she decided to take the plunge and go to art school. 

She explains that at her fine art school – Ecole des Beaux Arts – that drawings and paintings were not very popular. “We were encouraged to make videos and happenings and things like that”, she says, “But in the last year I made a mural about Persian painting.” Once she had graduated, her first commissions were for book illustrations. And, although painting is now in vogue once more, Persian painting is still not so popular in Paris. That said, she recently participated in a collective exhibition of Persian paintings to pay tribute to her master Abbas Moayeri with nine other artists at the Jardin du Luxembourg in France. “I rarely exhibit Persian paintings in France”, she explains, “Most of the most beautiful things I sell are for buyers abroad.”

Laureen explains that recently she has undertaken workshops at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London. “In this school students have the opportunity to learn all traditional techniques”, she says, “I don’t think we could create such a school in Paris. We don’t have this mind for tradition and crafts. But for me it is very important that things are handmade. We are very conceptual in France.” From this workshop with an Indian master Laureen learnt how to prepare her own pigments. “I read all these things in books but it was really good to see it live”, she says, “On returning to France I bought all these pigments. Before I used them without really knowing. It’s not difficult, it’s like cooking, in fact. You have a few things to buy at the beginning and then you become an addict.” 

Talking about her miniature paintings, Laureen explains that in the beginning it was an opening to Persian literature. “I read a lot of poetry”, she says, “There are really well-known authors for people who make Persian paintings, like the Books of Kings by Ferdausi.” That said, now she has a different approach. “It’s interesting to make my own stories. Sometimes I make paintings just with the wish of using silver or a pink colour. Sometimes the colours just give me the wish of making a painting without any literature. I love gold leaf and more and more I would love to use it without any narration.”

In addition to miniature painting, Laureen also works with watercolours. “I always have a watercolour box”, she explains, “It’s really sensitive. I like the technique.” Recently she illustrated a book on Armenian tales by Hovhannes Toumanyan using watercolour. “To enter art school you needed to show your work. All my personal work was made using vintage Armenian photography which I mixed with illustrations from Armenian illuminated manuscripts”, she explains, “But then I didn’t make anything commercial until this Toumanyan book.” For the book she researched Armenian dress, architecture, carpet and embroideries to ensure accuracy. She then exhibited the watercolour paintings at the Toumanyan museum in Yerevan, Armenia. 

Right now, Laureen would like to create a small publishing house to bring light to a form of arts that are unknown in France. “The best publications are in English”, she explains, “From Armenia, Iran…if we don’t propose it to the public we won’t know if it works or not. I think I’m not the only one in France interested in this.”
You can find Laureen at her website here and her Instagram here