Sohrab Sepehri Work Sets New Benchmark
Tehran Auction Shatters Records With $464 Billion-Toman Sale
TEHRAN — The 25th edition of Tehran Auction concluded with a historic result, rewriting the record books of Iran’s contemporary art market after generating 464.266 billion tomans in total sales and selling 96 out of 100 offered works.
Held Friday night at the Parsian Azadi Hotel in Tehran, the auction exceeded expectations in a period marked by economic pressure and uncertainty, transforming what many industry observers expected to be a cautious sale into one of the most significant nights in the history of Iranian visual arts.
The final figure represented the highest total achieved by Tehran Auction since its launch in 2012 and dramatically surpassed the previous record of 147.213 billion tomans, set at the 24th edition of the auction in October 2025.
The event also established a new record for the most expensive artwork ever sold through Tehran Auction, reinforcing the strength of demand for major works by leading Iranian modernists.
The 25th edition presented 100 works, including 74 paintings, 14 calligraphic pieces, six sculptures and six pictorial carpets. Only four works remained unsold, meaning that 96 percent of the lots found buyers, an unusually strong clearance rate for a major auction.
The sale attracted 63 buyers, with eight new collectors entering the Iranian art market for the first time. According to auction data, 64 works achieved prices above one billion tomans, demonstrating strong competition not only for blue-chip names but also across different segments of Iran’s art ecosystem.
Sohrab Sepehri Sets New
Auction Record
The undisputed star of the evening was Sohrab Sepehri, one of Iran’s most internationally recognized modern artists, whose painting “Ofogh-e Rafi” (“Lofty Horizon”) became the most valuable work ever sold at Tehran Auction.
The painting achieved a final price of 42.35 billion tomans, including the auction’s standard 10 percent buyer’s premium. Its hammer price reached 38.5 billion tomans, surpassing all previous individual artwork records at the auction.
Sepehri, known for combining modernist abstraction with Persian poetic sensibility and references to nature, remains one of the most sought-after Iranian artists among collectors. His reputation has continued to grow in both domestic and international markets, where his works are considered among the defining achievements of Iranian modern art.
The record-breaking sale also highlighted the enduring commercial power of Iran’s modernist generation, whose
works have become increasingly valuable as collectors seek historically important pieces with strong cultural identity.
Iranian Modernists Dominate the Top Rankings
Following Sepehri’s record-setting result, several other major names from Iran’s modern art movement achieved exceptional prices.
A calligraphic diptych titled “Mohabbat” (“Love”) by Muhammad Ehsai ranked as the second-highest-selling work of the night, reaching 36.85 billion tomans.
An untitled painting by Parviz Kalantari, one of Iran’s most influential modern painters known for his distinctive architectural landscapes and mixed-media compositions, sold for 27.5 billion tomans, placing third among the auction’s top results.
Other leading sales included:
An untitled painting by Abolghasem Saeedi — 26.95 billion tomans
“Summer, Winter (From the Maghrebis Series)” by Aydin Aghdashloo — 25.85 billion tomans
“Van Gogh’s Ear” sculpture by Parviz Tanavoli — 25.3 billion tomans
The strong performance of Tanavoli’s sculpture was particularly notable, reflecting continued demand for Iranian sculpture alongside the traditional dominance of painting and calligraphy in the local market.
Farshchian Works Strengthen Classical Art Segment
The auction also confirmed the continued appeal of classical Iranian art. Two works by the late master miniaturist Mahmoud Farshchian crossed the 10-billion-toman mark.
His painting “Gol-o Morgh” (“Flowers and Birds”) sold for 15.62 billion tomans, while another untitled work reached 13.42 billion tomans.
The success of Farshchian’s works demonstrated that collectors remain interested not only in modernist movements but also in Iran’s traditional artistic heritage, including miniature painting, calligraphy and decorative arts.
Strong Results Across
Mid-Market Works
Beyond the headline-breaking sales, the auction showed broad market participation across a wide range of prices.
A total of 20 works sold between five and 10 billion tomans, including pieces by:
Masoud Arabshahi
Leili Matin Daftari
Parvaneh Etemadi
Kourosh Shishegaran
Jazeh Tabatabai
Nasser Assar
Sadegh Tabrizi
Faramarz Pilaram
Bahman Mohasses
Manouchehr Niazi
Several works in this category attracted competitive bidding, suggesting that collectors are not only pursuing the highest-value masterpieces but are also actively investing in historically significant artists from Iran’s modern art canon.
Another 36 works sold between one and five billion tomans, representing artists from multiple generations, including:
Behjat Sadr
Nasrollah Afjei
Nasser Ovissi
Hussein Kazemi
Fereydoun Lashai
Muhammad Ebrahim Jafari
Ahmad Esfandiari
Mirza Agha Emami
Ali Akbar Sanati
Abbas Katouzian
The lower-priced segment also remained active, with 32 works selling below one billion tomans, demonstrating that Tehran Auction continues to serve a broad collector base rather than only elite buyers.
A Historic Moment for Iran’s Art Economy
The record-setting outcome arrives at a challenging moment for Iran’s broader economy, making the auction’s performance particularly significant for cultural institutions, artists and market professionals.
Before the event, expectations among organizers and observers were cautious due to economic conditions and uncertainty surrounding consumer spending. However, the final results suggested that high-quality Iranian artworks continue to function as valuable cultural assets and alternative investments.
The first Tehran Auction, held in June 2012, generated total sales of only 2.15 billion tomans. Over the following decade, the event evolved into Iran’s most prominent commercial art marketplace, creating a platform for established masters, emerging collectors and international visibility for Iranian artists.
The 25th edition now stands as a milestone in that evolution, proving that despite economic challenges, Iran’s visual arts market remains active, competitive and capable of producing record-breaking results.