TEHRAN -- The 26th Tehran Auction, dedicated to modern and contemporary Iranian art, has set a new record for the country’s art market, achieving total hammer sales of 1.197 trillion tomans, equivalent to approximately $4.55 million at an exchange rate of 263,000 tomans to the dollar.
Held on Friday, at the Parsian Azadi Hotel in Tehran, the auction offered 100 works by 93 artists, with every lot finding a buyer, according to figures reported by IRNA news agency.
The undisputed highlight was Heech, a bronze sculpture by celebrated Iranian artist Parviz Tanavoli, which sold for 280 billion tomans, or approximately $1.065 million, establishing a new record for the auction’s history. 
The result marked a dramatic increase from the 25th Tehran Auction, held in July, which recorded sales of 464.266 billion tomans, equivalent to approximately $2.45 million at the reported exchange rate of 189,210 tomans per dollar on July 17, 2026.
The second-highest price went to an untitled work by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, the pioneering Iranian artist internationally renowned for her geometric abstractions and mirror-mosaic works. The piece sold for 120 billion tomans, approximately $456,000, against a starting price of 98 billion tomans. 
Third place went to Inside, Outside, a work by Kourosh Shishegaran, which achieved 91 billion tomans, or approximately $346,000, rising substantially above its starting price of 53 billion tomans.
The three leading lots collectively generated 491 billion tomans, approximately $1.87 million, accounting for around 41 percent of the auction’s total hammer sales.
The auction’s aggregate starting valuation was 764.65 billion tomans, equivalent to approximately $2.91 million. The final hammer total therefore exceeded the combined starting prices by more than 56 percent, reflecting competitive bidding for works by established figures in Iranian modern and contemporary art.
The 25th Tehran Auction, held on July 17, 2026, presented 100 works by 80 artists, selling 96 lots for 464.266 billion tomans.
Its top lot was High Horizon by Sohrab Sepehri, which achieved a reported hammer price of 38.5 billion tomans, approximately $146,000. A calligraphic painting by Mohammad Ehsai, titled Mohabbat (Love), followed at 33.5 billion tomans, approximately $127,000. 
Its top lot was High Horizon by Sohrab Sepehri, which achieved a hammer price of 38.5 billion tomans,