Circle MuseumBijan Mahmoodi

Bijan Mahmoodi was born in Iran but left before the Islamic Revolution, to study and work in England. He spent some time in the UK before moving to the United States and becoming a citizen in 2001. While in the UK, Bijan worked on restoring old cars and in the shipyards of Brighton where he learned to metalwork. He has painted since he was a child but sculpture allowed him to create art that was more tangible, and thus the Circle Museum began to take form.

Bijan moved to the US in 1978 and immediately began working on his 8-acre property. Today this property features over 100 sculptures varying from found metal sculptures to carved granite. Bijan seeks to constantly try new styles, never repeating the same one twice among his works. The subject matter also varies widely; there are landscape images, abstracts, and figures. However, they are all connected by the theme of circles. To Bijan everything is cyclical - the sun, earth, moon, life, greed – and that is reflected in the formal expression of his work. His art also reflects his interest in hard-to-find Industrial era metals and bronze castings. 

His museum features a house gallery that has over 100 paintings and 300 sculptures made by Bijan. When the gates are open, visitors are allowed to enter. Entry to the museum is free, but donations are welcomed as they help fund Bijan’s purchase of future scrap metal.

– Narrative by Leah Zuberer (SPACES Intern), 2025

Sources:

• https://iran-times.com/artist-in-berkshires-creates-with-recycled-materials/
• http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2008/08/27/the-circle-museum
• https://wpdh.com/circle-museum-metal-sculptures-ny/

Industrial scrap metal, stone, oil paintings, found metals

10985 State Route 22
Austerlitz, New York us
Latitude/Longitude: 42.2681929 / -73.4753659

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