TEHRAN – A gallery owner in Tehran said on Tuesday that her colleague had received a proposal to sell artworks on an installment plan in order to cope with the loss of earnings during the current economic recession in the country.

Speaking to the Persian service of ISNA, Fatemeh Nuri, the owner of Naqsh-e Jahan Gallery, said, “Paying for artworks at a gallery on installments has been unprecedented in my 40-year career.”

“However, that is OK, if artists would be in agreement with this plan,” she noted.

She did not mention who had proposed the plan.

“Artists will definitely increase the prices of their artworks due to a sharp rise in the prices of colors and art materials in the country; therefore a rise in prices is always followed by fewer customers,” she added.

Nuri said that there has been a rapid decline in the number of visitors, and added, “If people have plenty of food to eat they will pay attention to art, but unfortunately, the economic condition is worsening day by day.”

There are almost 300 art galleries in Tehran, a large number of which have not organized an exhibition over the past two years. 

Photo: Visitors are seen talking together during an exhibition at Tehran’s Shalman Gallery on July 22, 2018. (Honaronline/Maryam Ramezanlu) 

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