TEHRAN – The 26th Tehran Auction, dedicated to modern and contemporary Iranian art, grossed more than $4.6 million. In this edition, Parviz Tanavoli’s bronze “Heech” sculpture was sold as the most expensive artwork in the history of the auction.

Held at the Parsian Azadi Hotel in Tehran on October 16, the 26th Tehran Auction presented 100 works by 93 modern and contemporary Iranian artists, celebrating the diversity of artistic expression and the enduring value of Iran’s art scene, Honaronline reported.

The total estimated value of the artworks in this edition was announced at $2.941 million. Ultimately, amidst intense competition among art buyers, all 100 offered works were sold for a total of $4,603,500.

The most expensive work of this auction was a bronze sculpture titled “Heech” by Parviz Tanavoli, which had a base price of $750,000 and was hammered down at $1.77 million. This work broke the sales record across all editions of the Tehran Auction.

Following Tanavoli’s “Heech” sculpture, an untitled mirror mosaic work by Monir Farmanfarmaian, with a base price of $377,000, was sold for $461,538, setting the second-highest record in the auction’s history.

The third landmark artwork in the Iranian art market was a piece by Kourosh Shishegaran titled “Inside and Outside,” which had a base price of $204,000 and was sold for $252,800.

The other best-selling artists whose works were offered at the auction include Abolghasem Saidi, Mohammad Ehsai, Hossein Zenderoudi, Mansour Ghandriz, Aydin Aghdashloo, Farideh Lashai, Wahed Khakdan, Manouchehr Yektai, Massoud Arabshahi, Sadegh Tabrizi, and Shahriar Ahmadi, among others.

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.

Photo: From left: “Heech” by Parviz Tanavoli, untitled mirror mosaic work by Monir Farmanfarmaian, and “Inside and Outside” by Kourosh Shishegaran were sold as the most expensive artworks of the 26th Tehran Auction, respectively.

SS/SAB