TEHRAN – A painting of an oasis by Sohrab Sepehri sold for 51 billion rials (over $1.2 million based on the dollar’s official market exchange rate i.e. 42,000 rials for $1) the highest price for any work sold at Iran’s emerging art market, the Tehran Auction announced on Saturday. 

The artwork also broke the Tehran Auction record, which an untitled work from Sepehri’s Tree Trunk series established in July 2017 by fetching 31 billion rials.

“He Havaze, Honesdale”, a calligraphic painting by Hossein Zenderudi, sold for 23 billion rials (about $550,000), was the second most expensive item sold at the auction that was held at the Parsian Azadi Hotel Friday evening.

Auctioneer Hossein Pakdel takes bid for the sale of “He Havaze, Honesdale”, a calligraphic painting by Hossein Zenderudi, during the Tehran Auction at the Parsian Azadi Hotel on June 29, 2018. The piece fetched about $550,000, was the second most expensive item sold at the auction. (Honaronline/Mohammad Namzi)

An untitled painting by Sepehri was the third most expensive item sold at the auction. The artwork fetched 19 billion (over $452,000).

Seventy-six works went under the hammer at the auction that broke the records of previous editions by grossing over 313 billion rials (about $7.5 million). Only two works by Zenderudi and Kurosh Shishegaran failed to find a buyer.

An untitled mirror work by Monir Farmanfarmaian featuring a pentagram sold for 7.5 billion rials (about $180,000) and the sum was donated to the Iranian Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Association.

Photo: Auctioneer Hossein Pakdel conducts an auction of contemporary Iranian art during the Tehran Auction at the Parsian Azadi Hotel on June 29, 2018 as an image of Sohrab Sepehri’s top seller painting that fetched over $1.2 million is seen in the photo. (Mehr/Asghar Khamseh)

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