A large bronze sculpture by the late Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro has been unveiled at Tehran’s Time Museum following an extensive conservation and restoration effort. The work marks the centenary of Pomodoro’s birth and represents a significant cultural collaboration between Iranian specialists and the artist’s foundation in Italy.
The sculpture, known as Sfera di Pomodoro, weighs approximately 3,000 kilograms and was originally created in 1974. It arrived in Iran in 1978 and was initially displayed at Tehran’s Eram Park before being relocated to the courtyard of the Time Museum in northern Tehran.
The restoration project took nearly two years to complete, with the treatment of the bronze sphere itself requiring about 18 months. According to Hamidreza Soleimani, CEO of the Dafineh Museums of the Mostazafan Foundation, preliminary studies and assessments of the sculpture’s condition took six to seven months due to the work’s unique size and metal composition. The restoration was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of cultural heritage experts, led by Manijeh Hadian Dehkordi, with additional contributions from conservator Mitra Etezadi and others. The process was conducted in close cooperation with the Pomodoro Foundation in Italy, which provided conservation guidelines, monitored progress, and supervised the work remotely at various stages.
The sculpture had experienced significant environmental and surface degradation during its years exposed at Eram Park. Iranian heritage officials noted that addressing these damages demanded specialized knowledge and careful techniques to preserve the piece’s integrity.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by several cultural figures, including Ahmad Mohit Tabatabaei, head of the Iranian Museums Association; Emmanuel Marchi, cultural attaché of the Italian Embassy in Tehran; Amir Qassemi, head of Tehran Municipality’s Tourism Headquarters; and representatives from Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.
Emmanuel Marchi expressed his appreciation for the collaborative efforts, noting that the restoration and reinstallation coincided with the 100th anniversary of Pomodoro’s birth. He praised the expertise and dedication of the Iranian conservation team in safeguarding the legacy of the Italian sculptor.
Pomodoro, born in 1926, is internationally recognized for his bronze sculptures characterized by polished surfaces disrupted by fractures and openings that reveal complex internal forms. His Sphere within Sphere series, to which the Tehran sculpture belongs, juxtaposes smooth external exteriors with intricate interiors, symbolizing contrasting concepts. Other prominent examples of this series are displayed at notable venues including the United Nations headquarters in New York, UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.