The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

On the west side the very lovely Laleh Park is a low-lying dun-brick building functioning as Tehran’s most important museum of contemporary art.

In the construction itself you see something of the struggle in all Iranian art to reconcile the traditional with the modern. First notice the skylights raised from the roof. Reminiscent of the “badgirs” of Yazd or Kashan, these allow the harsh sun to softly light the central sunken well of inner space – itself a modern interpretation of the cool underground havens of desert city residences.

Labyrinthine corridors spin off the central hall and guide you through the history of modern Iranian art. There are many fine pieces and some deep, absurdly comfortable armchairs from which to view them from.

Here are some of the pictures I took before I was caught on one of their countless security cameras.

This is one of the museum’s most impressive calligraphic works. Swathes of tightly packed Arabic script radiates out from an unfathomable centre. A profound message of divine unity. I will have to make another trip to note the name of the artist.



Another by the same artist.



And this is just gorgeous.



Guide to Iran and Iranian Culture

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