Davara Fine Art is a working studio and gallery showcasing the multi-level talent of Chicago artist, Davoud Rassouli Vossough.
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1952, Davoud’s earliest introduction to art was from his father, whose own love of painting and drawing inspired him. While his father worked as an engineer carving roads into the mountains of northern Iran, Davoud would draw the magnificent landscape under the guidance of the Persian Master of Painting, Nadgm Abadi. Following his graduation from high school, Davoud was the
first in his family to immigrate to the United States, arriving at the LSU campus for English language studies in January of 1972. The following summer, he left for Chicago, having been told it was a good place to find work. For several years to come, with a variety of jobs, he supported himself, his mother, and his 12 year old sister who had fled Iran at the break of the revolution, at the same time putting himself through school at the prestigious School of The Art Institute of Chicago. All the while studying with the Egyptian sculptor, Mustapha Naguib. Davoud earned his BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1980. Perhaps it is the combination of this early imagery drawn from his father, combined with his love of sculpture – from Phidias to Brancusi, the drawings of Da Vinci , the paintings of Rembrandt and Van Gogh that result in his haunting, explosive, and modern style. Throughout these various projects, Davoud continued to explore his unique and magnificent vision through sculpture, painting, drawing, and furniture making. Although Davoud’s subject matter is as vast as his choices of medium and materials, there is a consistency in the sensual, haunting, and seductive style, so powerfully expressed, whether through chiseled marble, cast bronze, or paintings drenched in his signature deep, rich tones and warm hues. Davoud and his wife, Tara purchased their first building, with the desire of creating a studio in the coach house. The Coach House became home to Davara Fine Art in December of 1980. The main house to the coach house was a gorgeous but crumbing 1886 Mansion in front of the property that had been converted into a rooming house early in the 1970's. It was the experience of restoring that building that lead to their search and rescue of several other properties in the Wicker Park area over the next few decades. "We had always had our eye on 1930 W division St. (the current location of Davara fine art) with its barrel vault roof and classic 1920's facade. We were thrilled to purchase the property in 1988." - Tara
They could not afford to occupy the entire space themselves, so we leased part of the space to a European Auto Repair shop for the first 2 decades, and a popular neighborhood bar/restaurant since 2006. The Davara Fine Art portion of the property includes the oldest segment of the building built in 1866, as well as the outdoor courtyard that is both work and show space.
