Golestan Gallery never makes a public call for this annual exhibition. Rather, artists know to submit a CD of their work to the gallery after Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, in March. Collectors can also apply to have their works showcased. Golestan spends weeks poring over the files, choosing the final works to be displayed. Notable this year was the presence of young artists, especially from outside Tehran, with many from the cities of Mashhad and Esfahan. In addition to works by deceased artists, the age range of the artists featured this year was from 18 to 80.

For 23 years now, at this time of year, Golestan has hosted an exhibit titled “ 100 Works by 100 Artists ,” bringing together artists of all genres, price ranges, ages and media. The titular numbers are approximate; this year, 178 works by 161 artists were exhibited, with prices ranging from 1.5 million Iranian rials ($50) to 2.5 billion rials ($83,450). The most expensive painting was done by the late acclaimed naturalist poet Sohrab Sepehri. The fiery socialist poet Siavash Kasraie also has two paintings in the collection.

Golestan hails from Tehran's prominent Golestan family, whose surname means, fortuitously, “garden of flowers.” She is the daughter of acclaimed but self-exiled Iranian filmmaker and writer Ebrahim Golestan and the sister of the late photojournalist Kaveh. In addition to running the gallery, she is also a director and translator.

The Golestan Gallery is larger than life. It is one of Tehran’s most prestigious galleries, and its owner is one of the city’s most well-known cultural figures. The gallery occupies a street-level space with glass doors in northern Tehran’s scenic Darrous district, once known as the “Bride of Shemiran” for its once-bountiful fruit orchards and cool summer days.

TEHRAN, Iran — Walk into Tehran’s famed Golestan Gallery on a typical day, and you will find Lili Golestan busy at her desk speaking on the phone, arranging a series of new works or telling stories. She has spent a lifetime with Iran’s most renowned poets, artists and intellectuals, and she is a woman with endless stories.

With all its randomness and the multitude of works sharing a small space, “100 Works by 100 Artists” is one of the best windows into Iran’s visual arts scene; showing where it has been and where it is headed. Golestan told Al-Monitor, “I’ve noticed that for a few years now, younger painters try to focus on form and anatomy, whereas before, abstract paintings were more common.”

Its lack of coherence is particularly what defines the exhibit. There is a sculpture by the late Jazeh Tabatabai. There are works of calligraphy by Mohammad Ehsai and the late Faramarz Pilaram. There is a caricature illustration by Iran’s most acclaimed caricature artist, Kambiz Derambakhsh. The sublime lovers of Sadegh Tabrizi are also present, as are the lost birds of Morteza Darehbaghi. There are also new promising artists such as Elika Ebrahimi Qajar with her vibrant still-life drawings and Ameneh Arbaboun’s whimsical Persian painting-inspired illustrations.

One of the defining features of the Golestan Gallery is its efforts to reach out beyond the wealthy northern Tehran crowd. Golestan told Al-Monitor, “Painting is an expensive medium. At the end of the day, art is not cheap. That’s why we try to find workarounds, sell art in installments or stages, feature all sorts of price ranges.” The reception to “100 Works by 100 Artists” this year has been “extraordinary,” she added. In its first week, the gallery sold as much as it did in its entire monthlong run last year. One gallery visitor who lives in the neighborhood told Al-Monitor, “The first three days you could not walk in; there was absolutely no space.”

The exhibition's accessibility stands in stark contrast to the Tehran Artwork Auction, the most lucrative art event of the year and also held after Nowruz. Celebrities such as soccer player Ali Daei and actor and tabloid favorite Bahram Radan as well as prominent businessmen usually gather in the Azadi Hotel to bid. The auction this year fetched a record $6.5 million. The event's sponsors included Samsung and the Goharbin family, one of Tehran’s most affluent jewelers.

The Golestan Gallery has for two decades now tried to showcase Iranian art without the aura of exclusivity and focus on it as art rather than investment.

Looking at the works as a collection brings all the intentions of Iranian painters together in one room: the focus on birds and flight, the loneliness of the womanly figure, calligraphy as an art form, a look back at traditional Persian painting styles and inspiration from surrealists such as Rene Magritte. The late Farideh Lashai’s disheveled depictions of nature, the warmth and serenity of a village, and gray landscapes that take over cities represent all the corners of the Iranian art world that Golestan has gathered in one space.

What makes this gallery truly unique is Golestan’s vision for what art can be and her tutelage of numerous Iranian artists throughout decades of tireless work. When asked if her ability to showcase whatever art she wants in the exhibit is limited, Golestan was blunt, “There are supposed to be limitations, but we ignore limitations, and so far, we have gotten by just fine.” She smiled here, with a mischievous glow in her eyes. She is the very fiber of what makes this city’s art live, explore and transform despite the odds. There are limitations, but part of the artist’s repertoire is mastering the talent of ignoring them and carrying on.