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Raha Gallery Collection

  • The fusion of the Abu Dhabi mosque (tradition) with the towers (modernity) re-creates a visual discourse of Emirati identity—an identity rising from the earth and reaching toward the sky. Beita Vakili’s painting, housed in the Raha Gallery Middle East Collection, illustrates that today’s UAE is the result of the coexistence of tradition and technology, faith and development, Islamic architecture and global innovation—a nation looking toward the future while never forgetting its roots. Beyond its artistic function and chromatic cohesion, the use of the UAE flag’s colors itself operates as a statement of national identity.

  • On the occasion of the 88th birthday of Master Ali Akbar Sadeghi, we revisit one of his magnificent triptychs, preserved today in the Raha Gallery Middle East Collection. This dazzling three-panel painting is not merely a banquet scene; it is a distilled vision of Sadeghi’s reflections on humanity, history, and social rituals. In Sadeghi’s world, celebration is always intertwined with a profound question: Is this a feast of being—or a feast of pretending? It is this very duality that elevates the work from a simple festive gathering to a visual manifesto on human nature and social performance.

  • The sculpture Vohuman occupies the uppermost position in the vast and astonishing installation Bundahishn—placed precisely above the figure of Ahura Mazda. It is not merely one among the 82 sculptures constituting the work; it bears a distinct philosophical reading: a figure with closed eyes, holding a fish to its chest. Fallahi’s Vohuman is the wounded guardian of life—an entity that, in a chaotic world, brings forth good thoughts not by force, but through an embrace.

  • Wahed Khakdan, the distinguished Iranian painter, passed away a few days ago, on October 23, at the age of 75. In tribute to this eminent artist, we examine one of his remarkable and thought-provoking works preserved in the Raha Gallery Middle East Collection — a seminal painting in which Khakdan, the master painter, creates a poetic and melancholic dialogue between childhood and violence, between beauty and destruction. Each component of the painting carries a visual memory that, when combined, forms a pictorial statement on the human condition in contemporary times.

  • This painting by Bita Vakili, which is accompanied by an exclusive piece of music and song, can be regarded as a work that reinterprets national identity from a contemporary and multimedia perspective. Vakili, by combining material science, cartography, and conceptual art, portrays Iran not as a geographical boundary but as a living, dynamic, and multilayered being. In her vision, metals flow like the veins of civilization through the body of the earth, and every bolt and washer bears the mark of labor, endurance, and history. Within this approach, the map of Iran becomes a metaphor for resilience, diversity, and national unity — a work where beauty and meaning are deeply intertwined.

  • This painting is a remarkable example of the enduring tradition of Persian miniature painting in the modern era—an artwork that poetically and vividly reimagines Iran’s epic and mythological past through a precise and expressive visual language. While remaining faithful to classical forms, Zaviyeh infused the work with his own rhythm, palette, and composition, creating a piece that is both a reflection of history and a mirror of the Iranian aesthetic spirit.

  • The traces of goats on the painted ceramics of ancient Susa find their way into the gazelles of Persian poetry and Iranian miniature in this painting, which has endured for more than half a century. The fusion of the “mythical animal” with “geometric abstraction” embodies a quest for identity—one that remains distinctly Eastern and Iranian, yet resonates in dialogue with international modern art.

  • The 53-year-old work Variation Tendre Tourmaline by Hossein Zenderoudi bears a French title meaning “Tender Tourmaline,” a poetic reference to a semi-precious stone. The name infuses the composition with a sense of preciousness and delicacy, enhancing the gem-like quality of its calligraphic lines. The painting is a visual–spiritual experience: letters swirl like particles of energy, inviting viewers to contemplate both meaning and form.

  • Massoud Arabshahi, the eminent Iranian painter, was born on September 10, 1935, and passed away on September 16, 2019. On the occasion of his birthday, we revisit one of his remarkable works housed in the Raha Gallery Collection. This painting stands as a clear example of Arabshahi’s enduring approach to mythic abstraction. Throughout his career, such works reflected his lifelong concern with reimagining the visual language of ancient Iran in a contemporary form. In terms of both scale and technique, the piece ranks among his important works, simultaneously embodying painterly mastery and intellectual depth.

  • The Raha Gallery Collection, founded and directed by engineer Mohammadreza Ghaemmaghami, has been actively engaged in promoting regional art for over two decades. With a sustained cultural mission focused on elevating the arts of the Middle East, the collection houses an exceptional selection of modernist and contemporary masterpieces by leading Iranian and Arab artists.