---
title: "Neshat Shirin: results at LLB Auction"
source: LLB Auction
canonical: https://www.llb-auction.com/artists/neshat-shirin
currency: EUR
price_basis: hammer, excluding buyer's premium and VAT
scope: results at this auction house only
---

# Neshat Shirin

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957 |
| Nationality | Iranian, American |
| Movements | contemporary art |
| Lots offered at LLB Auction | 5 |
| Lots sold | 2 |
| Range of prices realised | €1,000 to €1,000 |
| Median price realised | €1,000 |

## Lots

| Work | Medium | Sale | Date | Estimate | Hammer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unveiling series #1 | Pigment print | Contemporary Art Summer 2026 | 7 July 2026 | €500 to €1,000 | €1,000 |
| Unveiling series #2 | Pigment print | Contemporary Art Summer 2026 | 7 July 2026 | €500 to €1,000 | €1,000 |
| LOT 42. Women Without Men #2 | Screenprint | Contemporary Art: Autumn Collection 2025 | 26 October 2025 | €1,500 to €3,000 | Not sold |
| LOT 41. Women Without Men #1 | Screenprint | Contemporary Art: Autumn Collection 2025 | 26 October 2025 | €1,500 to €3,000 | Not sold |
| LOT 43. Unveiling series #2 | Screenprint | Contemporary Art: Autumn Collection 2025 | 26 October 2025 | €1,500 to €3,000 | Not sold |

## About Neshat Shirin

### Life and work

Shirin Neshat was born in 1957 in Qazvin, Iran, and moved to the United States as a teenager, eventually settling in New York. She works across still photography, video and film, and built her international reputation in the 1990s with Women of Allah, a series of black and white photographs that combine portraiture with handwritten Farsi text. In 1999 she received the International Award of the Venice Biennale for the video works Turbulent and Rapture, and she later directed the feature film Women Without Men, extending her practice from the gallery into cinema.

Her work has been the subject of major museum surveys, including a retrospective at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2013 and a three decade survey organized by The Broad that traveled to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in 2021. Fotografiska Stockholm presented her series The Fury in 2023, and Gladstone Gallery, which represents her, showed the photographic and film project Land of Dreams in New York in 2021. Across these venues her recurring subjects are exile, the female body and the aftermath of political upheaval in Iran and beyond.

### Editions and unique works

Neshat's saleroom presence divides mainly between still photography and moving image work. The photographs, most often gelatin silver, cibachrome or archival pigment prints from series such as Women of Allah, Rapture and Our House Is on Fire, circulate as numbered editions rather than unique sheets, and edition size varies considerably from series to series. Her video and film works are likewise sold as limited editions rather than as a single object, with the edition number and the format of delivery forming part of what a buyer acquires. LLB Auction has itself sold five lots by the artist, a photographic market where paper size, hand applied ink and edition number weigh more heavily on price than they would for a unique painting or sculpture.

### What a specialist examines

A specialist reviewing a Neshat photograph first confirms the medium exactly as printed, since gelatin silver, cibachrome and archival pigment prints from different series are treated differently by the market. The signature, date and edition number are typically inscribed in ink on the reverse of the sheet, and several works from Women of Allah carry Farsi calligraphy applied by hand directly onto the photographic surface, so that ink work is examined as closely as the image itself for fading or damage. Provenance is traced back to the gallery of first sale, most often Gladstone Gallery or an earlier representative, and cross checked against the exhibition history, including the venues listed under Career. For video and film works, the edition number within its stated total and the completeness of the delivered format, whether film, video file or installation components, are confirmed before a sale. The body that can be consulted on a specific work's history is the one listed under Career.

### Market position

At auction, Neshat's photographs have traded steadily across the last decade. Bonhams sold Rapture Series (Women in a Line) for GBP 16,250 in 2014 and Faezeh for GBP 31,250 in 2015, both in London. Phillips sold Untitled from Rapture for USD 5,670 in New York in 2021, and Fervor for GBP 35,280 in London in 2022. Bonhams then sold Rebellious Silence from Women of Allah for USD 12,800 in New York in 2024, and Sayed from Our House Is on Fire for USD 5,632 in 2025. These results, spanning three decades of her practice, show a market anchored in her photographic editions and concentrated at Bonhams and Phillips, the houses named under Career alongside her museum history.

### Preparing a valuation request

A seller preparing to consign a Neshat photograph should gather the original invoice or gallery receipt, any documented link between the specific print and an exhibition or publication, and clear photographs of the front, the signature and inscriptions on the reverse, including any ink calligraphy where present. The exact medium, sheet size and edition number should be recorded, together with a condition report noting fading, foxing or damage to hand applied ink or to the mount. For a video or film work, the format of delivery and the edition number within its stated total matter as much as the image itself. A complete paper trail of this kind allows a specialist to place the work correctly against the results and venues described above and to prepare an accurate assessment without delay.

## Market at LLB Auction

| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Sell-through | 40% |
| Record hammer | €1,000 (Unveiling series #2) |
| Hammer vs low estimate | 2.00x |
| Lots above high estimate | 0 |

### Prices by medium

| Medium | Offered | Sold | Lowest hammer | Median hammer | Highest hammer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screenprint | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Pigment print | 2 | 2 | €1,000 | €1,000 | €1,000 |

### Year by year

| Year | Offered | Sold | Total hammer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | €0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 | €2,000 |

## Public auction records

Results published by other auction houses, cited from the linked sources. Not results of LLB Auction.

| House | Date | Work | Price (basis) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonhams | 5 April 2024 | Rebellious Silence (from Women of Allah) (1994) | US$12,800 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/29465/lot/56/shirin-neshat-born-1957-rebellious-silence-from-women-of-allah/ |
| Bonhams | 28 April 2015 | On Guard (1997) | US$13,750 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22392/lot/92/ |
| Phillips | 18 November 2021 | Fervor Series (Crowd from Back, close up) (2000) | US$30,240 (premium) | https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/158574 |
| Bonhams | 28 October 2008 | Guardians of Revolution (from Women of Allah) (1994) | US$20,400 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16121/lot/206/ |
| Bonhams | 24 November 2008 | I Am Its Secret (1993) | US$15,600 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16680/lot/60/ |
| Phillips | 3 April 2013 | I am Its Secret (1993) | US$12,500 (premium) | https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/NY040213/285 |
| Phillips | 8 March 2013 | Untitled (from Soliloquy) (1999) | US$25,000 (premium) | https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/NY010113/301 |
| Bonhams | 30 July 2025 | Sayed (from Our House Is on Fire) | US$5,632 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30690/lot/39/shirin-neshat-b-1957-sayed-from-our-house-is-on-fire/ |
| Bonhams | 5 April 2024 | Rebellious Silence (from Women of Allah, 1994) | US$12,800 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29465/lot/56/shirin-neshat-born-1957-rebellious-silence-from-women-of-allah/ |
| Bonhams | 28 April 2015 | On Guard (1997) | US$13,750 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auction/22392/lot/92/shirin-neshat-born-1957-on-guard/ |
| Phillips | 13 April 2015 | Careless | £17,500 (premium) | https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/UK010315/98 |
| Phillips | 22 November 2022 | Fervor (2000) | £35,280 (premium) | https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/UK040222/34 |
| Phillips | 7 October 2021 | Untitled from Rapture (1999) | US$5,670 (premium) | https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/NY040221/305 |
| Bonhams | 20 April 2015 | Faezeh (2008) | £31,250 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auction/23058/lot/103/shirin-neshat-iran-born-1957-faezeh/ |
| Bonhams | 7 October 2014 | Rapture Series (Women in a Line) | £16,250 (premium) | https://www.bonhams.com/auction/21722/lot/545/shirin-neshat-iran-born-1957-rapture-series/ |

## Career

### Cautions

- Photographic prints from the Women of Allah series carry a hand written edition number and the artist's ink annotation on the reverse, and a sheet lacking either feature is a different object from an example that carries both. (https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/29465/lot/56/shirin-neshat-born-1957-rebellious-silence-from-women-of-allah/)
- Some early images also circulate through open commemorative portfolios, such as a 250 print MOCA Photography Portfolio, which are a more common object than the artist's own small numbered editions of the same picture. (https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/NY040213/285)
- Prints from the 1993 Museum of Contemporary Art Photography Portfolio edition of Women of Allah were issued in an edition of 250, a far larger run than the artist's later gelatin silver prints from the same series, which were issued in editions of three to ten. (https://www.phillips.com/detail/shirin-neshat/NY040213/285)
- Many prints from Women of Allah and Fervor carry ink handwork applied by hand directly onto the photographic surface, so the condition of that ink is a documented factor examined before a print is consigned. (https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29465/lot/56/shirin-neshat-born-1957-rebellious-silence-from-women-of-allah/)
- Individual photographs from Women of Allah and Fervor are held in museum collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, and provenance and exhibition history are checked against those institutional holdings when a print is consigned. (https://whitney.org/collection/works/18242)
- Prints from the Women of Allah series carry Farsi calligraphy applied by hand directly onto the photographic surface and are issued in numbered editions, so the sheet's edition number and the condition of the hand inked text should be checked against the print itself before a sale. (https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29465/lot/56/shirin-neshat-born-1957-rebellious-silence-from-women-of-allah/)

### Exhibitions

| Exhibition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Women of Allah | Franklin Furnace, New York | 1993 |
| International Award, 48th Venice Biennale, for Turbulent and Rapture | Venice Biennale | 1999 |
| Whitney Biennial | Whitney Museum of American Art, New York | 2000 |
| Silver Lion for Best Director, for Women Without Men | Venice Film Festival | 2009 |
| Shirin Neshat, mid career retrospective | Detroit Institute of Arts | 2013 |
| Shirin Neshat: I Will Greet the Sun Again | The Broad, Los Angeles | 2019 |
| Turbulent | 48th Venice Biennale, Golden Lion for best artwork | 1999 |
| Shirin Neshat | Detroit Institute of Arts, mid career retrospective | 2013 |
| Shirin Neshat: Facing History | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | 2015 |
| Shirin Neshat: Land of Dreams | Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto | 2022 |
| Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire | Parrish Art Museum | 2025 |
| Shirin Neshat: I Will Greet the Sun Again | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth | 2021 |
| Land of Dreams | Gladstone Gallery, New York | 2021 |
| The Fury | Fotografiska Stockholm | 2023 |
| Shirin Neshat | Detroit Institute of Arts | 2013 |
| International Award, XLVIII Venice Biennale | La Biennale di Venezia | 1999 |

## Comparables

Comparable price band (middle half of hammer prices here): €1,000 to €1,000

Related artists: Yayoi Kusama, George Condo, David Shrigley, Banksy, Keith Haring, Anish Kapoor

## In museum collections

| Work | Year | Museum |
|---|---|---|
| Soliloquy | — | Tate |
| Fervor Series (Mullah cut in half) | — | Whitney Museum of American Art |
| Fervor | — | Cleveland Museum of Art |

## Sources

- LLB Auction catalogue (Proprietary)
- Wikidata contributors (CC0): https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q262413
- Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin_Neshat
- Manfred Werner (Tsui), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viennale_talk_(2),_Shirin_Neshat.jpg
- Bonhams (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.bonhams.com
- Phillips (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.phillips.com
- Whitney Museum of American Art (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://whitney.org/artists/5338
- Whitewall (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://whitewall.art/art/shirin-neshat-retrospective-at-the-detroit-institute-of-arts/
- The Broad (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.thebroad.org/shirinneshat
- The Museum of Modern Art (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.moma.org/collection/works/111018
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/10229
- Smithsonian Institution (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/hirshhorn-presents-shirin-neshat-facing-history
- MOCA Toronto (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://moca.ca/exhibitions/shirin-neshat-2022/
- Parrish Art Museum (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://parrishart.org/exhibitions/shirin-neshat/
- Whitney Museum of American Art (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://whitney.org/collection/works/18242
- Tate (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/neshat-soliloquy-t07970
- Cleveland Museum of Art (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.59
- The Broad (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.thebroad.org
- Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://www.themodern.org
- Gladstone Gallery (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://gladstonegallery.com
- Fotografiska Stockholm (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://stockholm.fotografiska.com
- Whitewall (all rights reserved, cited under quotation): https://whitewall.art

## Valuations
Request a free valuation: https://www.llb-auction.com/sell