TEHRAN -- A sculpture by Parviz Tanavoli is the leading lot at the 26th Tehran Auction of modern and contemporary Iranian art, with an estimate of 200–250 billion tomans ($755,000–$943,000), based on an exchange rate of 265,000 tomans to the U.S. dollar.
Scheduled for October 16, the auction brings together works by prominent figures in Iranian modernism and contemporary art. Tanavoli’s sculpture, from his signature Heech series, was created in 2014. Standing two meters tall, it is numbered two in an edition of six.
The estimate substantially exceeds the top price achieved at the previous Tehran Auction, held in July 2026. The highest-selling work at that sale was High Horizon, a painting by Sohrab Sepehri, which fetched 42.35 billion tomans, or approximately $160,000, at hammer. 
The comparison highlights the ambitious valuation attached to Tanavoli’s sculpture, although an estimate is not a guaranteed selling price.
The second-highest estimate belongs to Monir Farmanfarmaian, whose work is valued at 100–150 billion tomans ($377,000–$566,000). Created in 2008, the work combines mirror work, reverse-glass painting and plaster on wood.

Farmanfarmaian, widely recognized for combining geometric abstraction with Iranian mirror-mosaic traditions, developed a distinctive artistic language that connected traditional decorative practices with modernist forms.
Koorosh Shishegaran occupies third place with Inside, Outside, estimated at 55–60 billion tomans ($208,000–$226,000). 
Known for his experimentation with painting and graphic forms, Shishegaran has developed a distinctive visual vocabulary within Iranian contemporary art. The work was previously presented at the Tehran Auction in 2017, according to the supplied report.

The auction’s ten highest-estimated lots
The leading works, ranked by their published estimates, are:
Parviz Tanavoli, Heech series — $755,000–$943,000. Created in 2014; two meters tall; edition of six, number two.
Monir Farmanfarmaian, untitled — $377,000–$566,000. Created in 2008, using mirror work, reverse-glass painting and plaster on wood.
Koorosh Shishegaran, Inside, Outside — $208,000–$226,000.
Muhammad Ehsai, untitled — $151,000–$170,000.
Hussein Zenderoudi, untitled — $151,000–$170,000. Dated 1976; the catalogue reportedly notes minor restoration.
Abolghassem Saeedi, untitled — $151,000–$170,000. The work was previously offered at Bonhams in Dubai in October 2009, according to the report.
Mansour Qandriz, untitled — $98,000–$106,000.
Aydin Aghdashloo, Memories of Destruction: In Praise of Rousseau Fiorentino — $83,000–$91,000.
Farideh Lashai, untitled — $83,000–$91,000.
Vahid Khakdan, Journey — $60,000–$68,000.
Dollar figures are rounded estimates calculated at 265,000 tomans per U.S. dollar.
Several of the auction’s leading lots reflect the different approaches through which Iranian artists have reinterpreted traditional visual forms.
Muhammad Ehsai, a major figure in Iranian calligraphic painting, is represented by an untitled work estimated at $151,000–$170,000. 
A second work, identified in the Persian report as Pictorial Zikr of Allah, carries an estimate of 24–26 billion tomans ($91,000–$98,000). Ehsai’s practice brings calligraphy into dialogue with painting and abstraction, transforming script into a central visual element.
Hussein Zenderoudi, associated with the Saqqakhaneh movement, is also represented by an untitled work estimated at $151,000–$170,000. The movement drew on vernacular religious imagery, traditional objects and calligraphic motifs to develop a distinctive form of Iranian modernism. Zenderoudi’s work in the sale is dated 1976, and the auction catalogue reportedly records that it has undergone minor restoration.
An untitled work by Abolghassem Saeedi carries the same estimate. Saeedi is particularly known for his landscapes and depictions of trees, which occupy a central place in his distinctive approach to modern painting.
Mansour Qandriz, another influential figure in Iranian modernism, is represented by an untitled work estimated at $98,000–$106,000. A second piece, Portrait of Bahman Sarkarati, is estimated at 4–5 billion tomans ($15,000–$19,000).
Aydin Aghdashloo’s Memories of Destruction: In Praise of Rousseau Fiorentino is estimated at $83,000–$91,000, while another work by the artist is valued at 6–7 billion tomans ($23,000–$26,000). 
Farideh Lashai’s untitled work shares the $83,000–$91,000 estimate. Vahid Khakdan’s Journey, valued at $60,000–$68,000, offers a contrasting approach through his meticulous depictions of interiors, objects and spaces, often imbued with a sense of memory and the passage of time.
The sale also includes a photograph by filmmaker and photographer Abbas Kiarostami from his Snow White series, estimated at 1–1.5 billion tomans ($3,800–$5,700).
The series forms an important part of Kiarostami’s photographic practice, featuring contemplative landscapes in which snow-covered ground, trees and the traces of the natural world become studies in stillness, space and perception.
The range of artists in the 26th Tehran Auction reflects the breadth of Iran’s modern and contemporary art history, from Tanavoli’s sculptural explorations of language and absence to Farmanfarmaian’s geometric compositions, calligraphic painting and contemporary photography.
With Tanavoli’s sculpture carrying an estimate approaching $1 million, the auction will provide a significant test of the market for leading Iranian artists. Whether the work reaches its upper estimate, however, will only be known once the bidding concludes.