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Painting by Artist with Regional Ties Up for Auction

ST. LOUIS -- An oil painting created by an Iranian painter and sculptor who once headed the art department of Monticello College in Godfrey, Ill., could bring up to $25,000 at a St. Louis auction later this month.

Hannibal Alkhas (1930-2010) moved to the United States at age 21 to pursue his education at Loyola University of Chicago, where he studied philosophy for three years.In 1953, to continue his artistic training, Alkhas entered the School of the Art Institute of Chicago which he had attended until 1958. At the institution, he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees.

The painting which will be sold at auction on May 23 depicts as rider on horseback and is approximately 24 inches square. It was created by Alkhas in 1968 while he was artist in residence at Hanover College in Southern Indiana. The auction is being conducted by Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers of St. Louis. For more information, visit www.selkirkauctions.com. The untitled piece of art is estimated at a value of $6,000-$9,000 and could fetch up to $25,000 at auction, according to Selkirk's auction catalog.

Alkhas became a professor at the Tehran School of Fine Arts in 1959 after his father’s death. At the institution, the artist taught painting, drawing, and art history for four years. While at the school, he also founded the first modern art gallery in Iran.

In 1963, Alkhas returned to the United States to teach at Monticello College. Later, he became chairman of the art department. This lasted six years, before he returned to Iran to teach at universities there.

Alkhas is considered one of the remarkable figures who made a huge contribution to the development of the art, in particular, to Assyrian culture. Alkhas elaborated his own artistic style which animates the historical events of Ancient Assyria, Babylon and Daric-Persia. The artist's masterpieces have been exhibited in various prestigious galleries and museums in Europe, Canada, Australia, Dubai, the United States, Iran, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Gallery of Modern Arts in Tehran and in Israel at the Helena d'Museum in Tel Aviv.