Statement:

In general, Collecting is the act of gathering, safekeeping, and displaying different collections; from post stamps to banknotes, books, antiques, etc. Nowadays, not only is art collecting one of the growing branches of collecting, but it also plays an important role in shaping artistic movements, changing the taste of the general public, the economic cycle, and historical and cultural heritage. The spread of collecting led to the creation of public collections and museums. Currently, we know that history, as an effective factor, contains many teachings about the right way for collecting and its effects. Since the emergence of modern collecting in the Renaissance, and the interest of the elite and cultured towards this activity, spaces dedicated to art collections were created next to religious and royal settlements. After a while, collecting was no longer restricted to the elite, and this led to the creation of national museums.///

 National museums made the government of each nation  a collector, and made them express their identity via this artistic activity. National collections are considered to be cultural treasures and a sign of the historical and cultural credibility of a country. In line with this trend, the first collecting activities began in Iran around 170 years ago. After the socio-economic changes that began in the Safavid era, and accelerated in the Qajar era, and finally came to fruition in the modernization of the Pahlavi era, the strata outside the palace walls (like traders) gained more power and began gathering and exchanging artworks. Art was freed from the monopoly of royal studios and libraries, and entered the homes of the bourgeois. Collecting is entwined with cultural heritage and social credibility from one side, and with economic activity on the other. Of course, this development has resulted in its own complexities. For example, detecting which works will retain their economic value alongside their artistic value, has always been an issue of collectors. Arthibition intends to clear the path for collectors by holding an exhibition titled “Collector” and displaying works with certified economic value. This event began in May, 2018, and has had 11 exhibitions to date, all with different approaches, such as Classic Art, Modern Art, Contemporary Art, etc. “Contemporary Collector” is the 12th exhibit of this series, containing selected works from pioneering and credible artists, in order to clear the way for those interested in art by reminding the cultural and economic importance of collecting.