A new generation of super rich gather in Dubai to collect modern and contemporary art from Iran

Interest in modern Iranian art began to take off, first in the Middle East and then globally, after Christie�s held its first Dubai auction of Middle Eastern art in 2006. Sussan Babaie, art historian at the Courtald Institute of Art in London, told Tehran Bureau the surge of interest in Iranian art resulted from the amount of art the country had been producing while isolated from international buyers.

The boom in Iranian art lasted only until 2008, when just before the world recession, Christie�s Dubai auction sales peaked at about $29m for the year. Michael Jeha, Dubai managing director and head of sales of Christie�s, said widespread speculation in Iran�s art ended with the financial crisis and the onset of tighter international sanctions against Iran.

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This article is part of a multimedia project by�ReframeIran, published in partnership with�The Tehran Bureau.