Tehran Museum Rediscovers 10 Long-Lost Picasso Paintings After 40 Years
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has uncovered a treasure trove: ten previously unknown Picasso paintings hidden in storage for nearly four decades.
For two years, the museum has prepared the exhibition "Portrait, Still-life, Landscape," uniting works by emerging Iranian artists and iconic Western masters. Launching in February 2019, it will showcase over 500 artworks across the entire venue.
This cataloging effort for a new digital inventory revealed the ten Picasso pieces, joining three already documented works by the Spanish master. Curator Matijs Visser anticipates further discoveries.
Post-1979 Iranian Revolution, the museum archived its North American and European collection, overlooked until now—despite resuming Western art displays around 2015.
Visitors will also see Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, and Marcel Duchamp. Visser prioritizes novel experiences over Western focus, as told to The Art Newspaper.
The exhibition stays site-specific, but afterward, archives—including the Picassos—open to global researchers.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to some parts of Iran.
