Lilit Teryan, “Mother of Modern Iranian Sculpture,” the female artist of Armenian descent

The Armenian-Iranian sculptor Lilit Teryan is considered the “Mother of Modern Iranian Sculpture.” She studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. She then left the country to continue her education in France at the University of Beaux-Arts. She could have easily stayed in Paris to establish her artistic career. Still, ultimately, she returned to Iran in 1961, where she began a teaching career at the Faculty of Decorative Arts. She introduced modern sculpture to the academic centers in Iran and then established the Sculpture Department at the faculty.
Teryan spent about 30 years teaching sculpture in various academic centers in Iran, and many renowned Iranian sculptors learned the art at the centers.
A statue of the early medieval Armenian linguist, composer, and theologian, Mesrop Mashtots, located at the Tarkmanchatz Church in Tehran, is one of her outstanding works. She also created a bust of Yeprem Khan, an Iranian-Armenian revolutionary leader and a leading figure in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, which is located at the Saint Mary Church in Tehran.
In February 2007, the Imam Ali Religious Arts Museum in Tehran honored Teryan for her lifetime achievements.