Sofie Swann

"Totem, " Large Abstract Painting

2021

Born in Tehran, abstract painter Sofie Swann escaped the Iranian revolution at a young age and subsequently lived in the United States and France. Keeping her heritage close, Swann uses Persian tea in varying amounts as a subtle nod to her roots. The sepia tones are, at times, a faint addition, though this trademark signature creates a sense of place in every work she makes. 

Swann spent time studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston where she explored landscapes and portraiture. Through experimentation, she developed a passion for abstract and minimalist art. While later living in Paris, she discovered key influential artists including Vincent van Gogh, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly, Louise Bourgeois and Yayoi Kusama. 

As a process of self-discovery and self-expression, her paintings take the form of visual autobiographies, telling a narrative of memories, both real and imagined, and the emotion she draws from remembering them. Swann prefers not to sketch intentional designs before beginning a painting and rather lets the work evolve organically. “My thoughts and emotions. That’s where it all starts,” she said in an interview with Sorelle Gallery. “I don’t paint what I see. I paint what I feel.”

Since 2015, Swann has exhibited in solo and in groups around the United States, including at Chroma Fine Art Gallery in Katonah, New York; Silvermine Galleries and the Carriage Barn Arts Center, both in New Canaan, Connecticut; and Sorelle Gallery in Westport, Connecticut.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Sofie Swann’s prints, paintings, mixed media and more.