Tehran – Following the sale of historic artwork due to the famous Safavid-era artist Reza Abbasi, there was a controversy over the legality of the sale and its credibility.
The sale, which took place at the 22nd Tehran auction on Friday, attracted criticism from cultural heritage officials and raised questions among art experts, Mehr reported.
A few hours before the auction began, the museum’s representative director, Leila Kosravi, expressed concern over the sale of traditional artwork.
Citing the 1930 Act on the Protection of National and Cultural Heritage, Khosravi said that the export and sale of artifacts over 100 years old are not explicitly permitted by the deputy of cultural heritage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Icrafts emphasized that it is strictly prohibited.
She further revealed that such artwork can only be sold within Iran after official identification and certification by the province.
Tehran Auctions featured a collection of traditional, classic and modern Iranian art, in a recent edition, including 25 traditional modern works and 75 modern works.
However, the auction organizers claimed they had secured the necessary permissions from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Leadership and concrete permissions from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.
Mahmoud Nurai, the spokesperson for Tehran Auction, defended the source of the artwork, saying that the “portrait of a sitting girl” has a documented history and was well known from the ruler of Safavid in Isfahan Returning to gifts for families.
Despite these guarantees, Khosravi later issued a statement deeming the sale of artwork illegal.
In addition to complexity, questions have been raised regarding the credibility of Abbasi’s attribution. Art experts point to the contradictions of handwriting, the lack of certain distinctive techniques, and the intended contradictions of the creation date and style of the artwork.
Despite concerns, Tehran Auctions claim that expert analysis is being conducted, including paper and color testing.
Additionally, the auction catalog features images of another Leza Abbasi artwork for sale at Christie’s in 2018, highlighting the longstanding issues of valuable artwork leaving the country.
The incident underscores the need for stronger measures to control the export of national treasures. By displaying and auctioning artwork from within Iran, Tehran Auctions appears to have hampered attempts to smuggle artifacts abroad.
The painting of “Portrait of a Sitting Girl” by Reza Abbasi was the best-selling piece at the auction for this edition, selling for $264,000 (R224.4 billion). The second highest sales were engraved candlesticks by Hossein Alaghmandan, which won $134,588 (R114.4 billion). Third place was shared between the painting “Genesis” by Mahmoud Farshchian and “Forgiveness” by Wahed Khakdan.
The first terren auction of this kind in Iran was launched in 2012 as an independent private initiative, ranging from Iranian artists to best Iranian artists to art collectors and global audiences.
It aims to address the growing interest in contemporary and contemporary Iranian art and promote the acquisition of quality works in a reliable way.
sab/