Lot 8: FARHAD MOSHIRI (IRANIAN, B. 1963) BLUE BOWL ON WHITE signed and dated in Fa

FARHAD MOSHIRI (IRANIAN, B. 1963) BLUE BOWL ON WHITE signed and dated in Farsi, signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘Farhad Moshiri 2005, BLUE BOWL ON WHITE’ (on the reverse) oil, acrylic, tempera and glue on canvas 78 3/4 x 69in. (200 x 175cm.) Painted in 2005

PROVENANCE: Private Collection Dubai (acquired directly from the artist). Acquired from the above by the present owner. LITERATURE: D. Nasser-Khadivi (ed.), Farhad Moshiri, Vol. I, Milan 2016 (illustrated in colour, p. 100). Inspired by arch 3/4 ology and old ceramic jars he had discovered in museums, Farhad Moshiri became a collector of ancient ceramics of the Safavid and Ach 3/4 menid dynasties, touring the deserted and ruined outskirts of Moshiri’s native village of Shiraz, randomly fnding old doors and jars. Following an incident during which the police suspected one of Moshiri’s jars to be a looted artefact, even though the innocence of the artist was proven through a trial, Moshiri’s fascination with jars became almost an obsession. He thus went on to recreate these three-dimensional objects by depicting them on the fat surface of the canvas, as to eternalise their remembrance and shed light on the fawlessness he sought in these pieces. His renowned Jars evoke the relationship between tradition and modernity in presentday Iran, replete with visual remnants of the past pointing to deeper social issues. He admired the simplicity and beauty of these objects and their Aesthetic contours that strikingly defeat the passage of time. For the artist, the perfection of these jars symbolised clarity and simplicity, an escape from global consumerism and the chaotic modern life in Iran and the world, a return to the primitive and what really matters. Through his works, Farhad Moshiri alludes to the traditional Iranian culture and Aesthetics while hinting to the consumerist and globalized culture of the West. From his Jars series, the present large-scale work entitled Blue Bowl on White is an exceptional example, presenting a delicate and elegant jar evoking history yet deliberately modern. Christie’s is delighted to present such an impressive and rare work attributable to its size and splendour. The craquelures of the iridescent, phosphorescent blue, almost turquoise paint give the jar its rich texture and contemporary aspect, yet preserve the authenticity and legitimacy of the piece as an emblem of cultural heritage. Simultaneously this cracked paint gives the object an overall delicate and fragile look, thus reinforcing its connection to life and its vulnerable nature. The combination of the famboyant colour and state of the jar enforces a juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern in a rich and brilliant way, emphasising and referencing the Pop Art and kitsch aspect of Moshiri’s oeuvre. Fascinated by paint as a medium, the artist plays with the texture of his works to achieve a new form of art. To attain the highly texturized surfaces on his canvases, he rolls up, folds and crushes the canvas allowing the almost dried pigments to fake and crackle, a process that hints to his continuous theme of love and admiration for the Golden Age of Iran. With this specifc technique, the artist is skilfully able to mould traditional mediums or ideas and make them anew while still revealing traces of their past. Jars have been renowned through time as objects of utility, but also as decoration. The cracks along the organic shape of the jar underline the beautiful light created through the work and the fresh blue shines vividly in the midst of the whiteness. The way Moshiri manages to manipulate a canvas to create luminosity and dimensionality in something as simple as the portrayal of a jar on a blank background is truly remarkable and cements his status as the top contemporary artist from the region.