TEHRAN-Millon auction house in Paris held the auction of Middle East 20th Century Art on July 11, where it presented works of Iranian, Arab, and Turkish artists.

Of the total 106 artworks offered at the auction, 19 lots were from modern and contemporary Iranian artists, Honaronlie reported.

An untitled painting by Sadegh Tabrizi was the highest-grossing piece by an Iranian artist and the second most expensive item at the event, sold for €30,500.

A painting by Reza Derakhshani and a photo by Abbas Kiarostami were the next items in the list of highest-grossing works.

Derakhshani’s “Purple Night Hunt” and Kiarostami’s “A Window Through the Life” were sold for €26,000 and €19,000 respectively. 

The other Iranian artists whose works went under the hammer include Jafar Rouhbakhsh, Sirak Melkonian, Iran Darroudi, Bahman Mohassess, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Nasser Ovissi, Ardeshir Mohassess, Samira Alikhanzadeh, Farshid Maleki, Manouchehr Yektai, Ali Asghar Petgar, Shadi Ghadirian, Rokni Haerizadeh, and Mahmoud Bakhsi.

Millon's modern and contemporary Middle East art auction highlighted more than a century of pioneering artistic production. The sale also featured masters from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria, who have marked modern and abstract art with their innovative works and bold visions.

Founded in 1925, Millon is an international auction house. Operating in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Germany, Millom organizes more than 130 sales per year, gathering all types of fine art objects from archeology to contemporary art, in specialized auctions.

The increasing recognition of Middle Eastern artists within Western artistic circles and institutions inspired Millon to showcase established and emerging talents from Arab, Iranian, and Turkish backgrounds on the international art market.

The Middle East Department has made remarkable progress, not only by orchestrating successful auctions but also by organizing a multitude of artistic events that have effectively raised awareness among the general public. This achievement stems from harmonious collaboration among artists, galleries, collectors, institutions, and notably, the estates of artists originating from the Middle East and North Africa throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Despite its formal establishment, Millon has actively fostered and contributed to the development of the Arab and Iranian art markets since 2012. This commitment reached its peak with the inaugural sale in Dubai at the Ritz-Carlton, a tradition continued since July 2023 in Beirut.

Increasingly, prominent names from the Middle East are asserting themselves on the international stage, and Millon is proud to represent them through its dedicated Middle-East sales.

Millon collaborates with galleries and collectors primarily based in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) but also Europe and the rest of the world.

Since its inception, the department has achieved record-breaking prices for innovative artists such as Mansour Ghandriz, Mohsen Vaziri-Moghadam, Behjat Sadr, and Manoucher Yektai from Iran as well as artists from other countries including Chafic Abboud, Georges Hanna Sabbagh, Adam Henien, Alfred Basbous, Fatma Baya, Mahjoub Ben Bella, Paul Guiragossian, Fateh Moudarres, and many others.

SS/SAB