Beirut, December 12, 2014: Iwan Maktabi transformed it’s flagship store in Achrafieh to host a vibrant exhibition titled: “‘Iwan, at the roots of discovery’. The store took on the life of a captivating gallery dominated by a grandiose installation by the artist Rami Dalle called “roots”. The walls exchanged some of their carpets for Persian paintings by various aspiring and established Iranian artists. The event also exhibited the latest carpet innovations and collections introduced by Iwan Maktabi.
The event attended by VIPs, artists and several media personalities, included an introductory address by Mr. Mohamad Maktabi who welcomed the guests and explained the reason behind the transformation at Iwan’s flagship store: “Our Persian roots have continuously been a source of inspiration for our continued adventure into the world of carpets. Understanding the core essence of the roots we come from, we learned to appreciate the various expressions of that heritage in paintings, sculpture, artifacts as well as carpets.” He continued adding: “In this event we invite you to see our true colours as a gallery constantly growing our collections from the real essence, at the roots of discovery.”
The exhibition at Iwan’s flagship store in Achrafieh will extend till the 15th of January 2015 and is open to the public. The paintings show the works of different Persian artists such as Ali Ajali, an established Iranian Artist, famous for his colorful calligraphic paintings, Ezra Aghighi, the famous female calligrapher whose works are collected by international museums and Taherpur Haidari, the young Iranian artist who beautifully illustrated Beirut’s old houses in his “Beirut Series”. The new carpet collection includes pieces by the world-renowned designer Jan Kath, Hossein Rezvani and Iwan’s own designs.
Iwan Maktabi’s collections include carpets from across the world ranging from the traditional to the unique contemporary pieces. Iwan also offers various Islamic Art pieces for sale and has recently displayed a private collection of paintings as a permanent fixture of the flagship store in Achrafieh.
