Manoucher Yektai: a vision beyond borders

The Manoucher Yektai Estate unveils a growing digital catalogue raisonné for the expert of cross-cultural modernism

The art world gains a remarkable new resource with the launch of the Manoucher Yektai digital catalogue raisonné, a comprehensive scholarly publication dedicated to documenting the complete oeuvre of a distinctive modern voice. This ambitious undertaking promises to illuminate the full scope of an artist whose work bridged continents, cultures, and artistic movements with singular vision and technical ability.

The catalogue represents far more than traditional scholarly documentation. It embodies an invitation to discovery, actively seeking submissions from collectors and institutions worldwide while serving as a living document that evolves with each new revelation. Through this innovative approach, the estate honors both the artist's philosophy of exploration and the global reach of his influence.

Manoucher Yektai in his Sagaponack studio circa 1980

A singular voice in modern art

Manoucher Yektai (1921–2019) occupied a unique position within the landscape of twentieth-century art, forging a distinctive path that defied easy categorization. His artistic journey spanned three continents and cultures, from his native Iran through the ateliers of Paris to the revolutionary ferment of postwar New York. He created a body of work that synthesized diverse traditions into something entirely his own.

As scholar Thomas McEvilley observes, Yektai's trajectory constituted "a search for Modernism, and for a participation in Modernism, indeed, for a home in it." Yet this search never required abandoning himself. While creating paintings that engaged fully with European and North American modernist innovations, Yektai simultaneously maintained "his rootedness directly in Persian culture," continuing to write poetry in Persian that, while sharing mystical qualities with Rumi, embraced modern free verse forms.

This cultural hybridity manifested not as a conflicted identity but as creative abundance. McEvilley identifies Yektai's approach as operating through "different channels: a traditional Persian poet, a Modernist American painter." Such multiplicity allowed him to navigate between worlds while remaining authentically himself. This quality would prove central to his artistic philosophy.

Returning from Paris to New York in 1947, during the emergence of Abstract Expressionism, Yektai encountered Jackson Pollock at precisely the moment when American art was asserting its independence from European traditions. As art historian Suzanne Hudson notes, Pollock's work provided Yektai with "the liberal permissiveness of procedure — no more easel or paintbrush or art-grade paint — and the very attitude of possibility underneath it."

However, Yektai's response proved characteristically nuanced. Yektai’s artistic credo, captured in a late interview, embodied radical inclusivity of materials and concepts: "I want to engage all the possibilities; brush, hand, the edge of a piece of wood, the edge of anything: trawler, spatula, carver, anything that is possible…." Working with extraordinarily thick impastos often applied with palette knives and trowels, Yektai created what Suzanne Hudson describes as surfaces of "improbable physical depths: paint squeezed onto the canvas straight out of the tube, daubed and demonstrably moved into the present arrangement." Contemporary critics marveled at this material abundance. Dorothy Adlow noted with amazement that "one picture alone is loaded with about thirty-five pounds of white paint." Moreover, Yektai returned to the fundamental genres of portraiture, landscape, and still life, not as retreat but as renewed investigation. This investigation distinguished Yektai from many of his Abstract Expressionist contemporaries. 

The imperative of comprehensive documentation

The motivation for creating this catalogue raisonné emerges from both scholarly necessity and deeply personal commitment. Nico Yektai, the artist's son and the project’s co-director, describes it as a lifelong endeavor that crystallized following his father's death in 2019, when the art market started to retake notice of his work. The family approaches this project as a crucial, cherished responsibility. 

The significance of this documentation became viscerally apparent to Nico during a pivotal moment in his youth, when his father requested help organizing storage. The experience proved to be revelatory and educational. "I will never forget what it was like to realize that I didn't know the entire scope of my father's work. Painting after painting stopped me in my tracks,” Nico said. “I discovered in this moment that I only knew the works that he had painted during my lifetime." Born in 1969, Nico witnessed his father's later production, but missed decades of his earlier work. As they reracked the works together, his father transformed his understanding as he told his son about the works and their histories.

This moment of discovery and education now drives the catalogue's broader mission, as Nico hopes to recreate that experience of wonder: "For me, in a sense, I'm hoping that the catalogue raisonné provides a similar experience to others; that it will open peoples’ eyes to new works and cause them also to say, ‘Wow, look at that!’”

Manoucher Yektai, Untitled, one of the years 1990, 1995, oil paint on canvas, 182.88 x 182.88 cm, Estate of Manoucher Yektai

Transforming scholarship and market understanding

The catalogue raisonné's impact extends far beyond traditional academic documentation, aspiring to reshape how Yektai's work is understood, valued, and transmitted to future generations. Unlike conventional catalogues raisonnés that present closed bodies of work, this project actively solicits submissions, creating what amounts to a living, evolving record. This approach has already demonstrated its value. As Nico reports, "Word has started getting out even before the website has launched. We’ve taken some submissions and added new works to the catalogue." This early success validates the project's fundamental premise: Yektai's complete oeuvre remains to be discovered and properly catalogued.

The digital format proves essential to this vision. As Nico explains, "In the trajectory of where we are, we're not close to the definitive record yet." A traditional print catalogue would freeze knowledge at a particular moment, but the digital platform makes it more interactive and dynamic. Enthusiasts and scholars will be able to watch it evolve. Using the Navigating.art platform helps to facilitate this growth and engagement, and it ensures the catalogue data is recorded at high-quality standards for current and future accessibility.

Expanding horizons and scholarly frameworks

The catalogue raisonné represents both culmination and beginning; it is the concluding step after decades of family stewardship while establishing foundations for expanded scholarly engagement. Currently managed by Nico and his brother Darius, the project anticipates significant growth in both scope and governance. "In the coming months, the committee will expand," Nico explains, describing this development as "a decentralization of the expertise that we received by birthright, by growing up with my father." This expansion represents more than an administrative necessity. It embodies a commitment to distributing knowledge about the artist's practice beyond family boundaries.

This approach ensures the catalogue will become a model for how artist estates can engage with global scholarship while maintaining family involvement and cultural sensitivity. The project's success in attracting early submissions suggests that collectors and institutions recognize the value of this collaborative approach to documentation.

Manoucher Yektai, Untitled, 1990, oil paint on canvas, 182.88 x 182.88 cm, Estate of Manoucher Yektai

A lasting impact on art historical knowledge and methodology

The broader implications extend to how we understand cross-cultural artistic practice in the postwar period. Yektai's work offers a compelling alternative to narratives that emphasize either complete assimilation or defensive cultural isolation. His example suggests possibilities for maintaining multiple cultural identities while contributing meaningfully to international artistic dialogues.

As the catalogue continues to evolve, it will likely reveal new dimensions of Yektai's achievement while establishing methodologies that other estates might adopt. The project's emphasis on openness, collaboration, and continuous discovery reflects the artist's own philosophy: working "at the edge of anything" requires embracing uncertainty while remaining committed to the possibilities that emerge from genuine engagement with the world.

The Manoucher Yektai catalogue raisonné thus stands as both monument and invitation. It honors a remarkable artistic legacy while opening new avenues for understanding how art transcends the boundaries we construct around culture, technique, and tradition. In documenting one artist's vision that transcends borders, the project itself embodies the cross-cultural collaboration that Yektai's work has always inspired.

Explore the Manoucher Yektai digital catalogue raisonné.