The new exhibition at Teheran Museum of Contemporary Art spans different periods of the Spanish painter's and sculptor's life. The exhibition features, among other things, several iconic works by the artist, such as "Portrait of a Man", "Cry of War", and "Echo of Sorrow".
The museum's collected modern art collection amounts to nearly 4,000 works, most of which have been kept from the public eye since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The reason – clergy deemed them unsuitable, citing nudity and other sensitive content.
Iran is a country with strict laws regarding women's clothing and restrictions on music and public gatherings.
Hamid Keshmirshekan, an art historian at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, tells NBC News that there is energy and vitality in the country's contemporary cultural scene and emphasizes "the younger generation's determination to participate in global cultural dialogues, despite the significant challenges they face culturally, intellectually, and economically."
