TEHRAN -- Tehran Auction’s 26th edition, dedicated to modern and contemporary Iranian art, is set to feature estimates that significantly exceed those of the previous sale. 
Leading the catalogue is a monumental bronze sculpture from Parviz Tanavoli’s celebrated Heech (Nothingness) series, estimated at 200–250 billion tomans, followed by a work by Monir Farmanfarmaian estimated at 100–150 billion tomans. A work by Kourosh Shishegaran, Inside Outside, carries an estimate of 55–60 billion tomans.
The figures have reignited debate over how Iranian artworks are valued amid currency depreciation, constrained international trade and a changing domestic collector base.
In an interview with ISNA, auction director Alireza Samiazar states that the estimates reflect more than the weakening of the rial. The artists’ international standing, the significance and rarity of individual works, and demand among collectors all contribute to their valuations.
“Price is ultimately determined by the buyer,” Samiazar explains, distinguishing an auction estimate from the amount a seller hopes to receive. The final result, he says, depends on what prospective buyers are willing and able to pay.
Samiazar draws a distinction between artists whose markets are predominantly domestic and those with stronger international visibility. While Sohrab Sepehri remains a major figure in Iranian art, Tanavoli and Farmanfarmaian have benefited from international exhibitions and institutional recognition that can broaden the pool of potential buyers.
The comparison is particularly revealing given the previous auction’s sale of Sepehri’s High Horizon for 42.35 billion tomans. Samiazar describes that painting as less significant than some of the artist’s more important works, whereas the Tanavoli and Farmanfarmaian pieces offered in the forthcoming sale belong to the strongest categories within their respective oeuvres.
The Tanavoli sculpture is a bronze Heech standing 2.1 meters tall. According to Samiazar, a work of comparable dimensions had not previously been offered at Tehran Auction or at major international auction houses.
The estimate, he says, reflects the combination of scale, rarity and the international reputation of the artist. Tanavoli’s auction
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