“Berlin, Rome to Display Items on Loan from Iranian Museum”

Director of Iran’s Museum of Contemporary Art Ali Mohammad Zare says items on loan from the museum are to be displayed at exhibitions in Rome and Berlin.

He noted that the necessary arrangements are being made to lend the items to Germany and Italy as the two European countries have been willing to set up an exhibit to put on show items from the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts (TMoCA), reports the Persian-language Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

“We want to show to all people of the world that the contemporary Iran is a treasure trove of artistic works,” he said.

“Many other nations know Iran by its past and are not that much familiar with our contemporary era, and we believe when artists and famous people visit our treasure trove and see what invaluable items are kept in our museum, they will be eager to learn more about our history,” he said.

“If it is finalized, we will, for the first time, be witnessing an exhibition of Iran’s modern and contemporary art being held in two European capitals,” said the official.

He predicted the exhibit will draw more than one million visitors, including authors, artists, film-makers and visual artists as well as European intellectuals.

“The visitors’ view of Iran will change as they see Iranian works of art and compare them with Western, European and American works,” said Zare.

Talks between the two European capitals and Tehran to open the exhibitions had initially broken down due to certain concerns in Iran over the transfer of the treasure to Europe.

Iran was worried that the pieces of art might be confiscated in Europe due to possible problems caused by the US sanctions.

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts was founded in in Tehran in 1977. Significant and precious items of modern art are on show at the museum.