Troubles In Tehran Delay Modern Western Art Exhibition In Berlin

The connection between Iran’s capital and a Berlin exhibition about modern art – including the likes of Pollock and Rothko – might not be immediately apparent. However, it turns out that the world’s largest collection of these works resides in Tehran and, if all goes well, a number of them will be heading to Berlin.
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is home to numerous works by artists like Warhol, Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh and others. However, most of them had been hidden away in storage on site for decades, until now. According to the plan, 30 pieces of art by Western and Iranian artists are scheduled to arrive in Berlin for a highly publicized exhibition at the Gemäldegalerie this winter, from December 2016 until February 2017. It will be the first time these works leave the country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
The interchange of art was hailed as ‘an example of art’s civilizing power and its ability to bring together peoples of different cultures and nationalities,’ by the President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger. As might be expected, the deal was worked out over a series of delicate negotiations between art professionals and others in each country.