To be unveiled in Dubai on March 20

One of the rarest works by the pioneering icon of Iranian modernism to ever appear at auction, Bahman Mohasses’ The Minotaur Scares the Good People is a highly-charged representation of the artist’s lifetime grappling with demons of alienation, loneliness and disenfranchisement. The dreamscape is populated with a plethora of half-human half-beast creatures, one of very few works by the artist to contain quite so many detailed figures. Hailing from the sought-after period of the 1960s, this irreverent avant-garde painting will make its auction debut as part of Sotheby’s 20th Century Art / Middle East sale on 24 April, offered with an estimate of £280,000-350,000. The work will be unveiled in our Sotheby’s Dubai galleries in the DIFC from Tuesday 20 – Saturday 24 March. “The Minotaur Scares the Good People is a seminal painting by modern master Bahman Mohasses, which has remained in a private collection since the 1970s and is emerging now at auction for the first time. Every inch of the canvas displays the elements that are most sought-after in his works – from the elongated full-bodied and standing minotaur to the abundance of mythological elements and vibrant characters that hark back to his alter-ego Fifi. Testament to the growing demand from collectors and institutions across the globe for masterworks by Mohasses, a rare work by the artist achieved a record price of £584,750 at Sotheby’s London last year - triple the previous record at auction - so this exceptional work is expected to be greeted by much enthusiasm as it makes its debut appearance on the market,” said Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s Contemporary Arab and Iranian Art Specialist and Head of Sale.

An enigmatic, unconventional and proud figure, Mohasses’ paintings did not seek to glorify but to highlight the human condition in all its raw tragedy. In his own words, the artist sought to glorify the beauty of ugliness yet his works continued to reflect a deep darkness. His relationship with his homeland was a conflicted one, as he felt misunderstood by his own culture and yet not enough appreciated when he moved to Italy. His paintings express hopelessness in the face of social and political inadequacies and symbolise powerlessness in an existence full of disappointment and fear.

Mohasses’ knowledge of Greek mythology early European classics and French intellectual thinkers, as well as a propensity towards existentialism and nihilism informed his artwork in significant ways. Painted in his characteristic textured, Tuscan palette and sculptural style, The Minotaur Scares the Good People takes on the theme of life and death with sheer drama and emotive dynamism.

Filled with movement, anguish and despair, the composition brings to mind both Pablo Picasso’s renowned series on the Minotaur and Francis Bacon’s anthropomorphic figures. A symbol of mythic power alongside mortality, Mohasses’ Minotaur is a manifestation of ultimate yet truncated power. The humans, though painted in livelier colours, are also symbols of powerlessness – a mother with an infant, a feeling man – all prisoners of their own condition. This also echoes Peter Paul Rubens’ classical masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents from the 17th century.

A vibrant and exciting international platform for modern and contemporary art from North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East and Iran in London, Sotheby’s 20th Century Art / Middle East auction in April will once again star highly-sought after masterpieces.

Film sector in Hong Kong

Curated by Li Zhenhua, art’s entanglements with the present time is the focus of this year’s film program

Celebrating its fifth edition in Hong Kong, Art Basel presents an ambitious program of 59 film and video works. Beijing- and Zurich-based multimedia artist and film producer Li Zhenhua, who has been curating the sector since its inception, has brought together a premier selection of film and video works inspired by the current socio-political climate.

‘Sensational, Humorous Little Tales.’

This year’s film program focuses on art’s entanglements with the present time. The works take up a variety of positions: as a mirror reflecting a nostalgic or painful past, a barometer measuring current social tensions, an oracle divining the future in mysterious ways. Or simply as sensational and humorous stories reflecting unique artistic points of view.

The Film program, which runs from March 28 to 31, is free and open to the public. The short film program, screened at the Hong Kong Arts Centre and rerun for the first time at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), is available on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Khaleeji artist collective GCC, who met in the VIP lounge at Art Dubai in 2013, have been commissioned to produce the 2018 edition of The Room, Art Dubai’s interactive dining experience which is created by different artists each year at the fair. Titled Good Morning Gcc, this year’s edition of The Room will recreate a live TV show on site, using the tropes of daytime talk shows commonly featured on TV stations across the Arab world as an anchor for the programming, which will include daily segments such as fashion, cooking and health. A particular highlight will be the celebrity-wedding singer and TV chef Suliman Al Qassar, an icon of food performance and much-loved TV personality in the region, who will launch the program with a live cooking demonstration on the opening night of the fair. The overall experience of the set will develop over the duration of the fair with daily performances, and visitors being able to interact with the props, furniture and scenographyFrom Wednesday, March 21 – Friday, March 23, GCC’s TV studio set on Fort Island will serve as the background for a series of after-hours parties, featuring a line-up of internationally renowned DJ’s. The night events/segments will take place under the title GCC After Dark. Tickets for Art Dubai are available via artdubai.ae This year’s edition of The Room is supported by Ixina.

Compiled by Mariam Nihal