ALA EBTEKAR (IRANIAN, B. 1978)
Lot 195 PROPERTY FROM AN AMERICAN COLLECTION

ALA EBTEKAR (IRANIAN, B. 1978)

Ascension III

Closed30 October 2013

Price Realised

USD 17,500

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ALA EBTEKAR (IRANIAN, B. 1978)
Ascension III
signed, titled and dated '"Ascension III" Ala Ebtekar 2009' (on the reverse)
gouache, India ink and pencil on assemblage of book pages laid down on canvas
50 x 81in. (127.9 x 205.7cm.)
Executed in 2009

Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco.
The Third Line, Dubai.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

Specialist note

Ala Ebtekar finds inspiration in both the history of Western art and the traditional art and culture of Iran and has produced a great number of works, mostly drawings, delicately combining pre-Islamic iconography with contemporary patterns.

In the present work, Ebtekar draws inspiration from Persian mythology and depicts an imaginary creature, resembling a centaur, on a background made of a collage of pages that the artist collected from ancient poetry books. The creature, with its human head and crown, the body of a horse and open wings appears majestic like the Achaemenid Kings of Persepolis. The sun, in turn, alludes to the Zoroastrian beliefs that have greatly influenced the artist throughout his life and career.