How an Ancient Empire Collected, Rejected and Rediscovered Modern Art
By Donna Stein.
How a unique alliance between two women in the 1970s led to the acquisition of a treasure trove of modern art now worth billions
In the 1970s, American curator Donna Stein served as an art advisor to Empress Farah Diba Pahlavi, the Shahbanu of Iran. Together, Stein and Pahlavi generated an art market in Iran, as Stein encouraged Pahlavi’s patronage of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Today, the contemporary section of the Iranian National Collection—most of which continues to languish in storage—is considered one of the most significant collections of modern art outside of Europe and the United States. The Empress and I is a vivid account of Stein's experience at the height of this storied intercultural initiative In crafting her highly readable narrative, Stein cites a number of previously confidential documents, including private correspondence with artists and dealers. This text explores the relationship between two women united by their shared passion for the arts and the continued legacy of their partnership in today’s art world.
Featured image is reproduced from ‘The Empress and I'.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Christie's Magazine
The Empress and I recounts Stein’s time spent building the collection, citing previously confidential correspondence with artists and dealers, while exploring the bond she formed with the Empress over a shared passion for art.
Town & Country
In the 1970s, former MoMA curator Donna Stein took on an unusual and highly classified project: advising Farah Pahlavi, the queen of Iran. Here, Stein shares the amazing true story of how she helped build one of the world's most important art collections.
Iran Wire
Robert Weinberg
Donna Stein has finally told her extraordinary story in a new book, The Empress and I: a “hybrid,” she calls it, “of autobiography, art history and political history”.
Bloomberg
James Tarmy
A new book by curator Donna Stein details the whirlwind acquisition process that built that greatest collection of modern art you’ve never seen ...Of value to anyone interested in the history of the 20th century art market.
Toronto Star
Deborah Dundas
As much as it’s a glimpse into the art world, it’s also a glimpse into Iran in the 1970s, behind the scenes at the highest echelons, accompanied with photos of Stein and the Empress and the works of art.
New York Times
Elaine Sciolino
The Empress and I tells two interlocking stories: one of a rule-driven, hierarchical, often-dysfunctional bureaucracy that bought Western art at surprisingly reasonable prices for a monarchy flush with oil money; another of the daily life of an unmarried young American woman in Old Regime Tehran.
amNY
Hazel Shahgholi
Stein’s book is an instructive memoir of adventure, the pleasure and power of art and culture, but also of friendship and loss. It is Stein’s hope that these “young, forward-looking Iranians…will continue…to express themselves beyond any limitation or border, east or west.
Architectural Digest
Madeline Luckel
Titled The Empress and I: How an Ancient Empire Collected, Rejected, and Rediscovered Modern Art, the tome makes for a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in art history. But besides offering a chance to learn more about paintings such as Pollock's 1950 Mural on Indian Red Ground, the Skira publication is also a study of one woman's personal and professional journey.
New York Times
Maira Garcia
As an adviser to Queen Farah Pahlavi of Iran, Stein acquired works by Picasso, van Gogh and others for the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, until revolution intervened.
Art Newspaper
Tim Cornwell
Laden with period glamour, political intrigue and eye-catching art.
Tatler
Maya Asha McDonald
Given her trying experience at the centre of Iran’s most ambitious artistic endeavour of the 20th-century, Stein makes no attempt to hide the fact that her book aims to settle some old scores. However, the Empress - for whom Stein claims to have been a ‘confidante’- emerges from the memoir relatively unscathed.
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FORMAT: Pbk, 6.5 x 9.5 in. / 208 pgs / 75 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $45.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $63 ISBN: 9788857244341 PUBLISHER: Skira AVAILABLE: 3/30/2021 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: NA LA
The Empress and I How an Ancient Empire Collected, Rejected and Rediscovered Modern Art
How a unique alliance between two women in the 1970s led to the acquisition of a treasure trove of modern art now worth billions
Published by Skira. By Donna Stein.
In the 1970s, American curator Donna Stein served as an art advisor to Empress Farah Diba Pahlavi, the Shahbanu of Iran. Together, Stein and Pahlavi generated an art market in Iran, as Stein encouraged Pahlavi’s patronage of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Today, the contemporary section of the Iranian National Collection—most of which continues to languish in storage—is considered one of the most significant collections of modern art outside of Europe and the United States.
The Empress and I is a vivid account of Stein's experience at the height of this storied intercultural initiative In crafting her highly readable narrative, Stein cites a number of previously confidential documents, including private correspondence with artists and dealers. This text explores the relationship between two women united by their shared passion for the arts and the continued legacy of their partnership in today’s art world.
