Tehran – Two works by Iranian artists were sold at the Bonham London Online Auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art on August 14th.
The collection, presented at the auction, consisted of 45 works from a variety of Middle Eastern artists, including 10 by Iranian artists, Irna reported.
The Iranian artists whose works were presented at the auction were Silac Melconian, Ebrahim Orfat, Babak Kazemi, Marcos Grigolian and YZ Kami. However, only two works by Melconian and Orfatt were sold at the event.
Untitled oil of canvas paintings by the late artist Melconian (1930-2024), executed in 2020, sold for $13,888.
Another piece for sale was Canvas’ calligraphy paintings, ink and gold leaves, executed in 2012, which achieved $5,207.
Iran – Silac Melconian, an Armenian painter and one of the founders of the country’s contemporary art movement, passed away in Toronto, Canada in August last year at 93.
Born in Tehran, Melconian met the renowned Iranian-Armenian modernist painter Marcos Grigorian, from whom he learned modern European and world art. Melconian’s early works had a figic and realistic approach.
In 1957 he received the Modern Iranian Artist Award at the Iranian American Association and in 1958 the Imperial Court Award at the Tehran Biennale. Grigorian encouraged him to move to Italy and study the arts at the Academia di Bell Arti di Rome. He stopped studying there and continued to study the arts experimentally. He participated in the Venice Biennale and soon received the Paris Biennale Award.
In the early 1960s, Melconian began to focus specifically on the abstraction of his work, becoming a leading figure in the Iranian art scene, and was a success at home and internationally.
Melconian founded the Azad Art Group in the early 1970s, with other important artists living and working in Iran at the time. They were officially introduced at the Tehran International Art Fair in 1974, promoting the boundaries and understanding of Iran’s conceptual art and installation works.
The limited colour palette and the emphasis on lines and forms of Melconian’s works have always been more important than the subject. The parative words of his work found expressionists and then, over time, discovered abstract aspects. Melconian’s mastery of the visual nature of lines and colours created the perfect unity and balance that is considered the closest common features of his work.
Melconian has exhibited his work at over 140 exhibitions around the world, from Tehran to Paris, New York and Yerevan. His works are found in major public and private international collections such as the Niabaran Palace, Tmoca, and LACMA.
An international artist specializing in calligraphy, Ebrahim Orfat earned a Masters degree in Graphic Design from Azad University, graduated from the Iranian Calligraphy Association and a medical degree from the Iranian University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.
He is proficient in over 20 different calligraphy scripts, including Nastaälīq, Shekasteh Nastaáq, Thuluth, Naskh, Kufic, Ruqáah, and Diwani, and his works feature a range of diverse calligraphy compositions. He has participated in many group exhibitions and international auctions.
Olfat is best known for his unique lightboxes (works that combine light and modern calligraphy) that are displayed and sold at prestigious international auctions such as Sotheby’s London (2011), Christie’s Paris (2011), and Christie’s Dubai (2012).
The modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art market has achieved great growth since it began to gain recognition among collectors locally and globally over the past decade. 20th century Arab and Iranian art witnessed extraordinary developments along the region’s rich artistic heritage, and is reflected in the world’s longstanding appeal and interest in Middle Eastern art and culture.
Bonhams has maintained a significant international presence in the market since the early days of its development. During the first sale of contemporary Middle Eastern art in Dubai in 2008, Bonhams witnessed the first Middle Eastern artwork, breaking 33 world records and achieving auction sales of over $1 million. “Esh” is a stunning mixed media work by Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri.
Since then, Bonhams has established itself as one of the major auction houses in the category, and now holds regular biennial sales in London in Dubai, recognizing the growing international art market from the Middle East and surrounding regions.
Photo: Ebrahim Orfat’s calligraphy painting “eshgh”
SS/SAB