TEHRAN – A collection of works by a number of celebrated Iranian artists will go under the hammer at the Bonhams auction house sale in London set for June 11. 

Works by artists from Syria, Egypt and Iraq will also be offered in the Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern (West Asian) Art sales.

Being offered are 96 lots, 18 of which belong to Iranian artists with the highest prices.

The highest-priced item belongs to Jewad Selim for his painting Nisa Fi Al-Intidar (Women Waiting) offered at €170,000-280,000.

“The Magnified Sacred”, a mirror work by Monir Farmanfarmaian from Iran has been offered at €110,000-220,000, placing as the second-highest priced item. 

Farmanfarmaian had earlier said that “The Magnified Sacred” represents the nine elements of the body: brain, bones, nerves, veins, blood, flesh, skin, nails and hair.

“Golzar” by Mohammad Ehsai, “Untitled” from Sohrab Sepehri’s Tree Trunk Series and “Gold Leaf Bowl with Green Hue” by Farhad Moshiri are among other highlights of the Iranian artworks selected to be auctioned. 

The modern and contemporary West Asian art market has experienced significant growth since the category began gaining recognition among collectors regionally and globally over the past decade. 

The twentieth-century Arab and Iranian art has witnessed an extraordinary development that is in keeping with the rich artistic legacy of the region and is reflected in the world’s long-standing fascination and interest in West Asian art and culture.

Bonhams has maintained a significant international presence in the market since the early years of its development. During their inaugural sale of modern West Asian art in Dubai in 2008, Bonhams broke 33 world records and witnessed the first West Asian artwork to achieve an auction sale of over one million dollars; Farhad Moshiri’s stunning mixed media work “Eshq” (Love).

Since then, Bonhams has firmly established itself as one of the leading auction houses in the category, holding regular bi-annual sales first in Dubai and now in London, in recognition of the growing international market for art from West Asia and surrounding regions.

Photo: Iranian artist Monir Farmanfarmaian’s mirror work “The Magnified Sacred” will be on sale at Bonhams auction in London on June 11, 2020.

RM/MMS/YAW