TEHRAN -- The second edition of the Kavian Private Auction concluded with a series of significant sales of Iranian modern and contemporary art, led by Reza Derakhshani’s Hunting Ground, which sold for $92,000, making it the highest-priced work of the auction.
Held from 3 to 6 November 2026 at Maher Museum Gallery, the event presented works by established figures of Iranian modernism alongside artists from subsequent generations, offering a snapshot of the diversity of the country’s art market.
Following Derakhshani’s leading sale, Lovers on Horseback by Sadegh Tabrizi achieved $15,000, emerging as another notable result of the auction. The work highlighted Tabrizi’s distinctive visual language and his contribution to the development of modern Iranian art.
Other notable results included an untitled painting by Sohrab Sepehri, which sold for $27,000, and a work by Bahman Mohassess, which achieved $22,000. A painting by Parvaneh Etemadi fetched $12,000, while a work by Ardeshir Mohassess sold for $7,000. A painting by Jalal Shabahangi realized $5,700.
The auction also featured Wonders of Creation (Ajaeb al-Makhluqat), a 2020 painting by Mehrdad Fallah, an artist and former student of Tabrizi. Measuring 86 × 82 centimeters, the work sold for $2,200.
The presentation of works by Tabrizi and Fallah offered an opportunity to consider the relationship between artistic generations in Iran.
A major figure in Iranian modernist art, Tabrizi was known for bringing together elements of traditional Iranian art, Persian miniature painting and modern visual expression. Fallah, meanwhile, has pursued a distinct artistic direction through his own experiments in contemporary painting.
Their juxtaposition at the auction underscored the continuity and transformation of visual languages across generations of Iranian artists.
The event opened on Tuesday, November 3, with public viewing on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the main auction on Friday, November 6, at Maher Museum Gallery.
With works ranging from established modernist masters to artists of later generations, the second Kavian Private Auction offered a cross-section of Iranian artistic production while illustrating the varying levels of market demand and valuation across its different segments.
The results placed Derakshani at the top of the sale, while Tabrizi’s $15,000 result provided another notable indication of continued collector interest in the legacy of Iranian modernism.