Iran Modern: The Empress of Art

During her reign as the first queen in Iranian history, Empress Farah Pahlavi dedicated her life to serving the Iranian people, creating, and curating museums and festivals across the country. With a keen eye—and working with Sotheby's, Christie's, and the Met—the empress was able to amass one of the world's greatest collections of modern art for her country, including works by van Gogh, Picasso, Bacon, and de Kooning. She empowered a generation of young Iranian artists, visited the studios of artists like Henry Moore and Chagall, and commissioned works directly from a young Andy Warhol, who paid visit to the Royal Palace, in the name of establishing her country as a cultural vanguard. Then, in 1979, the unimaginable happened, and the Iran that emerged after the Revolution changed everything. Iran Modern: The Empress of Art uncovers the lost story of Farah Pahlavi's amazing journey from Empress to exile and illuminates the near-forgotten collection of contemporary art she left behind. Over 100 illustrations. Assouline's Ultimate Collection is an homage to the art of luxury bookmaking. Hand-bound using traditional techniques, with color plates hand-tipped on art-quality paper, each page of this limited-edition series bears the unique imprint of the artisan. Treating a range of topics from jewelry and fashion, fine art and the 'Impossible Collections,' the Ultimate Collection curates culture from around the world and across the ages. Nestled in linen clamshell presentation cases, these books attract collectors, lovers of the printed page, and those who devour the culture of our time. Signaling a new level of sophistication for true connoisseurs, these unique books are works of art in their own right.