Ala Ebtekar, Tale of the Beloved, 2010. Acrylic and ink on digital pigment print. 45 x 30 inches.
The 2011 Edition of PULSE New York - its first both at the Metropolitan Pavilion and under the direction of Cornell DeWitt - proved one of its most successful by its Sunday evening conclusion. Pulse is dedicated solely to contemporary art consisting of a select group of leading and pioneering international galleries that present works by premier emerging contemporary artists.
Some 10,000 visitors toured the polished floors of the new venue, and the overwhelming majority of exhibitors disclosed strong sales in a broad price range and an enthusiastic atmosphere.
Collectors, their advisors, celebrities and contemporary art professionals closed sales and spotted among them were noted collector couple Susan and Michael Hort, musician David Byrne, actor Hugh Jackman, and buyers representing entities ranging from the Deutsche Bank Collection to the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. “Deutsche Bank Collection acquired four of Ala Ebtekar’s pieces – two very fine drawings that juxtapose hip-hop images with iconic Iranian images and two large scale mixed media work photographic images of female Iranian warriors with an acrylic paint layering,” excitedly stated owner Charles James of Charlie James Gallery (Los Angeles). Iranian artist Ala Ebtekar received his BA from the San Francisco Art Institute and his MFA degree from Stanford University and describes his work as "a visual glimpse of a crossroad where present day events meet history and mythology."
Ala Ebtekar, Arrival, 2010. Acrylic and ink on digital pigment print. 45 x 30 inches.