Private Collections of Modern and Contemporary Iranian and Arab Art – Passion, Practice and the Public Sphere

Abstract

This thesis explores the pivotal role which private collectors and their collections of modern and contemporary Iranian and Arab art play in preserving this art niche, promoting it on the global stage and facilitating public interest and understanding. With the purpose of providing a multifaceted picture, the first section of the paper sheds light on three key areas: Firstly, it considers the complex cultural, political and art historical context of modern and contemporary art from Iran and the Arab world, highlighting the geographical areas most relevant to the collections discussed later on. Subsequently, it delves into the practice of private collecting and its relation to public collecting, heritage preservation, the promotion and public access to the collections, and the various means by which this can be achieved. Finally, modern and contemporary art of Iran and the Arab World and its collectors are analyzed in the context of the international art market. The second section is formed by three case studies of private collections from Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. This selection offers insights into the rich diversity of art of the Middle East. Each collection is discussed in relation to the perspectives given by the first section, namely the (art) historical context, the collector's role and mission, and the global art market. For each collection, some exemplary works are highlighted and further examined. Particular focus lies on the various ways by which private collectors aim to make their collection publicly accessible and intelligible for educational and promotional reasons, by which value is created for both parties.This research is based on extensive review of interdisciplinary scholarship on these topics, and relies heavily on available material of interviews with the selected collectors, as well as on available data from the art market. Overall adopting a primarily vertical perspective, this case-study based approach offers both a panoramic view of private collecting practices of Iranian and Arab Art and an in-depth analysis of representative cases.