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In Conversation | Ali Banisadr and Dr. Stanton Thomas
In Conversation | Ali Banisadr and Dr. Stanton Thomas
Don’t miss this exclusive morning of art and art history! Join artist Ali Banisadr in conversation with Dr. Stanton Thomas, the MFA’s Hazel and William Hough Chief Curator, for an illuminating discussion on the ideas, experiences, and influences that shape Banisadr’s singular artistic practice. In this rare, intimate dialogue, we explore the intersection of memory, mythology, and the sensory phenomenon of synesthesia. Banisadr and Dr. Thomas will pull back the curtain on two decades of work, decoding the dense, kaleidoscopic visual language and historical gravity that define his works. Arrive early to pick up your copy of the Ali Banisadr: The Alchemist catalogue at the MFA Shop and get it signed by the artist after the program!
In Conversation | Ali Banisadr and Dr. Stanton Thomas Saturday, April 11, 2026 11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg FL 33701
$15 for MFA Members; $35 for Not-Yet-Members (Includes Museum admission)
ABOUT ALI BANISADR
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1976, the artist grew up amidst the turmoil of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). In 1988, Banisadr left Iran with his family at the age of twelve, first reaching Turkey and then San Diego, California. While living in San Francisco as a young adult, he became involved with the local graffiti art community while studying psychology. He later moved to New York City where he earned a BFA at the School of Visual Arts (2005) and an MFA at the New York Academy of Art (2007). The artist currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Banisadr has been the subject of international solo museum exhibitions at the Museo Stefano Bardini and Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, (2021); Benaki Museum, Athens, (2020); Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, (2020); Gemäldegalerie, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, (2019); and the Het Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch, (2019). His work has also been included in major group exhibitions including the Venice Biennale (2013) and Prague Biennale (2013). Banisadr’s work is included in significant public collections including the Benaki Museum, Athens; British Museum, London; Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Het Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Museum der Moderne, Salzburg; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT, among others.
Image: Ali Banisadr (b. 1976), Queen of the Night (detail), 2022, oil on linen, 82 x 120 in. Private Collection. Photography by Genevieve Hanson. © Ali Banisadr
