Fatima and Eskandar Maleki to auction off personal art collection in London

The Dreweatts sale will include Old Master paintings as well as furniture and contemporary pieces

One of the equestrian bronzes by sculptor Antoine Coysevox due to go under the hammer. Photo: Dreweatts

Renowned British art collectors Fatima and Eskandar Maleki will next month be auctioning works from their personal collection, currently housed at their 28 South Street home in London’s Mayfair.

Organised by Dreweatts auctioneers, the sale entitled 28 South Street: The Mayfair Home of Fatima and Eskandar Maleki will take place on September 25 and include an assortment of works ranging from Old Master paintings across four centuries of European art, to Dutch and German painters of the 17th century along with furniture and contemporary art.

“Dreweatts are delighted to have been entrusted with the London Home collection of Fatima and Eskandar Maleki from 28 South Street,” said Joe Robinson, head of house sales and collections.

“This sale chronicles their collecting journey, evolving from an inherited appreciation for the traditional, to becoming passionate and distinguished patrons of contemporary art.”

The Malekis both come from affluent Iranian families who were art collectors. However, when they were still a young couple, they were forced to leave their homeland in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. Relocating to Oregon in the US and then to London, they started again from modest beginnings to rebuild their lives.

They began their collection by acquiring traditional pieces from furniture to paintings, then educated themselves on the world of contemporary art and eventually established their place in the international art market.

One of the marked contributions the Malekis have made in the art world is their support for emerging artists at their 28 South Street home. They showcased their work and the efforts of curators, and also hosted parties and events that brought and connected artists and collectors together.

Among the earlier works that will be going up for auction is an oil painting, The Wise and Foolish Virgins, by Flemish artist Maarten de Vos, known for his religious paintings, estimated to fetch between £15,000 and £25,000.

A pair of oil portraits of a gentleman and a lady by Dutch artist Nicholas Maes will also be auctioned. Maes was a pupil of the Dutch Golden Age master Rembrandt and the sitters were members of the distinguished noble Moutmorency family from France. The paintings are estimated to be worth between £12,000 and £18,000.

One of the most impressive furniture pieces up for auction are two sets of 14 carved giltwood and upholstered 19th century chairs formerly in the collection of the Wernher Family at Luton Hoo. It is estimated to be worth £8,000 to £12,000.

In a short film for Dreweatts, Fatima Maleki detailed their journey of art collection and expressed that while it may be difficult to sell these pieces, it was ultimately necessary as they move on to a new phase in their life.

“It’s very difficult, you know, when we’re choosing what to sell, because every one of them has a story behind them,” Fatima says in the video. “Especially since we were buying them at a time when we put all of our money into one piece and really researched it, looked at it, lived with it for a while, going back and forth. And so every piece was special for us in that house.”

Some of the contemporary works in the auction include Square Sphere, estimated to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000, by the Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson as well as All the Sleeves are Brown and the Tie is Grey California Dreaming by the influential German artist, photographer and sculptor, Friedrich Kunath, carrying an estimate value of £15,000 to £20,000.

The auction will also include the works of other contemporary artists such as Michael Wilkinson, Jacob Kassay and Jim Lambie.