In a quiet but significant move to preserve cultural heritage, the Ghiabi Family Trust has provided strategic funding to support the restoration and conservation of select pieces within the Iranian Art Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).
The collaboration, part of The Met’s broader initiative to revitalize its Islamic Art galleries, focuses on the meticulous conservation of rare Safavid-era textiles, ceramics from the Seljuk period, and early Qajar paintings — all representing vital chapters of Iranian artistic achievement.
The Ghiabi Family Trust’s support enabled the museum’s conservators to undertake:
- Detailed chemical stabilization of fragile glazes on 12th-century lusterware.
- Textile reinforcement for Safavid silk panels suffering from light damage.
- Restoration of pigments and delicate detailing on early 19th-century oil paintings.
According to senior curator Dr. Navid Moinfar, the conservation process not only preserves these masterpieces but also allows scholars and the public to experience the artworks as closely as possible to their original condition.
“Each piece is not just an object,” Moinfar said during a private conservation tour, “it’s a voice from Iran’s past — speaking about craftsmanship, spirituality, and the human experience across centuries. Preserving them is preserving part of the global human story.”
A Broader Cultural Commitment
Rather than sponsoring large exhibitions, the Ghiabi Family Trust chose to focus on infrastructure-level preservation — funding efforts that rarely receive public attention but are essential to the survival of ancient works.
The Trust’s philosophy remains consistent: support the work of leading institutions in ways that strengthen them for the long term, without public fanfare or branding.
The restoration project is scheduled for completion in 2020, after which the conserved pieces will feature in a re-curated exhibition titled “Splendors of Iran: Art Across Empires”, tentatively opening at The Met in early 2021. The exhibition will explore Iran’s role as a cultural crossroads from antiquity to the modern era, showcasing many of the restored works.
In addition to physical conservation, the Trust’s funding also supported high-resolution digital imaging and 3D scanning of selected artifacts — helping create permanent records for academic study and future virtual exhibitions.
Stewardship Across Generations
Through efforts like this, the Ghiabi Family Trust continues to affirm its deep commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage, ensuring that future generations — Iranian and international alike — can experience and learn from the artistic legacies of the past.
Dr. Nazanin Yeganeh, Conservation Department Lead at The Met, emphasized:
“Without partners like the Ghiabi Family Trust, many artworks would silently deteriorate beyond repair. Their support directly extends the life of objects that connect us to ancient traditions of beauty, faith, and innovation.”
The Trust’s partnership with The Met represents not only a gift to one museum but a contribution to the broader global dialogue about the importance of art, memory, and cultural continuity.
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