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Bonhams, the international fine art auction house from the UK, held its first Middle East auction sale in Dubai last night.
Featuring some of the biggest names in contemporary Arab, Indian, Iranian and Pakistani art, the auction also included fine jewellery and watches.
Speaking to tabloid! ahead of the auction at the One&Only Royal Mirage, Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri, Iraqi artist Suad Al
Attar and Bonhams's Director of Islamic and Indian Art, Claire Penhallurick, fielded some quick questions on money, art and a bit of politics.
Indian art was really hot a couple of years ago. Has it reached a plateau in terms of sparking interest? And has the interest
been diverted to Middle Eastern art?
Claire Penhallurick: Possibly. Indian art has reached a plateau. But not because the quality of art has gone down. It's because collectors have got more selective. There was unprecedented interest a few years ago and a lot was collected. It's just that the market has a lot more awareness and information and, as a result, has become much more selective.
Would it be fair to say that art from regions of conflict command more interest and therefore attract better prices?
Penhallurick: (long pause) No. I can't really say there's a link. I don't see it as an issue. It's true that places such as
Iran and the Middle East have produced some truly incredible works, but the conflict relation… Maybe we should ask Farhad that question.
Farhad Moshiri: I suppose the conflict makes it more marketable. It definitely adds an exciting element to the artist's biography and work, but it's not a fair review of the work.
As an example, an Iranian woman artist does get more media attention and interest from other parts of the world, because there's the element of women's rights. But art should be judged as art.
But the political attention on the Middle East and Iran must have some cultural payoffs in terms of attracting more curiosity from the rest of the world?
Penhallurick: I'm not sure it has anything to do with the political scenario.
Moshiri: We are lucky in that sense. Yes, the attention has translated into a curiosity of what the culture and art of the
region is about. It's a combination of the political turmoil and the vibrant, financially booming economies such as the one
in Dubai that have helped artists in the region. So while the interest exists because of the politics, the prosperity in the
region has helped create an artistic Renaissance.
Artists typically don't like to put a price on their art. Sitting in an auction though, do you ever have a personal figure
that you hope to cross?
Moshiri: It's perfectly possible to get carried away it that moment. But I don't think artists put a price to their works. An
auction can be quite an intense energetic experience and it's best to just translate that into a creative context.
How does the creativity remain grounded and alive within the context of commerce and art auctions?
Moshiri: If you're an idealist you try to ignore it. But auctions and commerce are a very real part of the art world. Artists
are now getting to be a part of the secondary art market for the first time. This, I think, allows the artist to be further
inspired as it's a way to get people to see the works. Artists are fuelled by prosperity.
How do artists participate in the secondary art market such as auctions? What role do you play?
Suad Al Attar: Unlike other events when my works were auctioned in Dubai, I've personally picked the two pieces that are sold with Bonhams. I think it helps in increasing the quality of the works presented. When the artist is not involved, there is a possibility of works that were previously rejected making it to an auction.
Are the works you've picked from your personal collection?
Al Attar: Yes. One is from 1981 and the other from 1993. They're both from different phases of my life and what I believe to be good works.
As an auction house, how does it help you to have the artists directly involved with an auction?
Penhallurick: Having the artists around for us as an auction house is much more gratifying than relying on other people's
accounts of the works. This way we get to interact directly with the artists and obtain all possible information, which we
then compile and include in the catalogues. These catalogues become documented references and are an important tool in educating the public about the artists and their works.
Suad Al Attar
Suad Al Attar was born in Iraq in 1942. She studied at California State University and Baghdad University, and as a
postgraduate she studied printmaking at Wimbledon School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design in London.
Throughout her career she has been awarded prizes at many of the international Biennales, such as Cairo, London, and Madrid, and has exhibited widely in Washington DC and the Royal Academy and Leighton House in London. Her work is in the collections of, for example, the British Museum and the Kuwait Museum of Modern Art. She lives and works in London.
The auction
The first Bonhams Middle East auction in Dubai featured the works of more than 90 artists including paintings by Indian
Masters Francis Newton Souza, M. F. Hussain, Pakistan's Abdur Rahman Chugtai and contemporary star Ayesha Mariam Durrani.
Plus, there was a wonderful representation of the pioneers and innovators of modern Middle Eastern and Iranian art such as the Iraqi artist Jewad Selim, Iran's Abbas Kiarostami and Shadi Ghadirian, Syria's Sabhan Adam and Egypt's Ahmad Moustafa, to
name a few.
Farhad Moshiri
Moshiri was born in Shiraz in 1963, and between 1981 and 84 studied Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts. After
graduating, he started experimenting with various artistic mediums including installations, video art and painting, before returning to Tehran in 1991.
He is possibly best known for his works depicting pottery decorated with calligraphy but his other works, executed in a
variety of media, successfully portray opposing social and artistic themes.
Recognised as one of the leading contemporary Iranian artists of his generation, Moshiri has exhibited in galleries and museums across the globe. His work forms part of the collections of the British Museum, London, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
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