Museum Rietberg Exhibition - "The Fascination of Persia"

The Persian-European Dialogue in Seventeenth-Century Art & Contemporary Art from Teheran

"Four hundred years ago Europe and Persia, today's Iran, began to inch closer — politically, economically, culturally and artistically. Europe dispatched trading companies and religious orders; the shah sent his ambassadors. Rubens drew inspiration from Persian miniatures; Muhammad Zaman created works after the Italian and French painters Guido Reni and Jacques Stella. Polish nobles appropriated Persian styles of dress; Persian artists discovered the nude as a motif. Occident and Orient were fascinated by their respective otherness; each made its mark on the other.

Cross-cultural exchange is now a global phenomenon. Biennials all over the world assemble works of art from east, west, north, and south, including from Iran. The seven Iranian artists from Tehran represented here appropriate elements from Iran’s past while commenting on today's realities. Their works turn on much deeper questions and hence are universally understandable."

For full details, please see the Exhibition website.