TEHRAN- The 21st edition of the Tehran Auction, a prestigious event dedicated to contemporary art in Iran, is set to be held online. 

The auction will showcase 140 pieces by artists specializing in painting, sculpture, and photography presented in an online format on October 11, ISNA reported on Sunday. 

Artworks from renowned contemporary artists such as Sadeq Tabatabai, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Parviz Tanavoli, Farideh Lashai, Jafar Rouhbakhsh, Masoud Arabshahi, Kourosh Shishegaran, and Davood Emadi will be displayed alongside emerging talents, the report added. 

Monir Farmanfarmaian is highlighted as the most valuable artist in this session, presenting an untitled piece that incorporates mirror work, reverse painting on glass, and plaster on wood from the 1970s, estimated at 100 to 120 billion rials (approximately $167,000 to $200,000). 

Following her is Aydin Aghdashloo with his work titled "Summer, Winter from the Collection of the Moors," estimated at 90 to 100 billion rials (around $150,000 to $167,000). Reza Derakhshani’s piece "I Count the Day and Night, Day and Night" is estimated to fetch between 80 to 90 billion rials (approximately $134,000 to $150,000).

Additionally, artworks from 35 artists will make their debut in the Iranian art market, including Mehrdad Fallah, Kasra Golrang, Ladan Boroujerdi, Raika Milanian, Reza Nosrati, Paria Farrokhi, Hossein Khoshraftar, Morteza Yazdani, Shiva Babai, and Ali Beigiparast.

Other newcomers include Keyvan Beiranvand, Nasim Hosnbakhshan, Alireza Jedi, Sudeh Davood, Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabai, Mohammad Mastan Dahi, Anahita Qasemkhani, Hossein Markazi, Mani Mehrzad, Masoud Aslani, Mina Ghaziani, Sassan Nasiri, Avin Farahadi, Sanaz Dezfoulian, Sara Abasian, Omid Khakbaz, and Yadgar Khayyam.

The previous Tehran Auction, held in July, focused on modern and contemporary art, achieving a remarkable sales figure of over $3 million.

At the auction, which included 115 works by modern and contemporary Iranian artists, 107 pieces, over 93 percent of the offered lots, were sold at over 1,900 billion rials ($3.175 million).

The event presented 99 paintings and calligraphic paintings, 12 sculptures, and four photos.

A total of 65 buyers participated in the auction, 15 of whom did so for the first time. Of the 115 sold lots, 41 items were sold at prices higher than 10 billion rials ($16,667).

The highest-grossing piece at the auction was a painting titled “End of an Era” from the “Memories of Destruction” series by Aydin Aghdashloo which was sold for $205,333.

The second most expensive work was a piece of mixed media on canvas by Farhad Moshiri titled “Black Numbers on White”, realizing $187,000.

An untitled calligraphic painting by Mohammad Ehsai was also among the top three works of the auction, sold for $183,333.

The first of its kind in Iran, the Tehran Auction was launched in 2012 as an independent and private initiative to introduce the best in Iranian art, ranging from established and emerging Iranian artists to art collectors and the global audience.

It aims to address the increasing interest in modern and contemporary Iranian art and facilitate the acquisition of quality works in reliable ways.

SAB/