Guitty Azarpay was born in Tehran, Iran in 1934. She graduated with a PhD in Art History in 1964 from UC Berkeley.She taught at UC Berkeley until her retirement in the early 2000s. Her research on the ancient Iranian and Transoxiana (Central Asia) art, especially about Urartian Art and Sogdian Painting, is highly commendable, as she wrote two valuable books such as Urartian Art & Artifacts (1968) and Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art (1981). The publication of the book of Sogdian Painting introduced many art scholars to Sogdian art. Azarpay played a valuable role in introducing Sogdian paintings and Sogdian art. She was the recipient of the Book of the Year Award from the University of California Press for Sogdian Painting, and received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement award.About 20 years ago, Azarpi donated her personal library to Golestan Palace in Tehran.Guitty Azarpay passed away in early April 2024.
