TEHRAN – A monumental bronze sphere by late Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro has been unveiled at Tehran’s Time Museum following months of conservation and restoration project, marking the centenary of the artist’s birth.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Hamidreza Soleimani, CEO of the Dafineh Museums of the Mostazafan Foundation; 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 of Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

The 3,000-kilogram bronze sculpture, known as Sfera di Pomodoro, was created in 1974 and brought to Iran in 1978. It had previously been installed at Tehran’s Eram Park before being transferred to the courtyard of the Time Museum in northern Tehran.

Soleimani said the study, treatment, restoration and reconstruction of the sculpture took about two years, with the restoration of the sphere itself requiring around 18 months.

Given the sculpture’s unique characteristics and its metal construction, preliminary studies alone took six to seven months, he said.

The restoration team established contact with the Pomodoro Foundation in Italy and obtained its conservation and treatment protocols, Soleimani said. The foundation remained involved throughout the project, receiving progress reports, monitoring the condition of the work and, at certain stages, supervising the restoration process online.

Soleimani said the restoration was carried out by an experienced team of cultural heritage specialists led by Manijeh Hadian Dehkordi. Mitra Etezadi and her colleagues later joined the project, with the final conservation methodology developed through consultations among the specialists involved.

“This project was not the result of the decision or work of a single person,” Soleimani said, emphasizing the role of the multidisciplinary team throughout the restoration.

Also, Marchi, for his part, welcomed the completion of the restoration on the occasion of Pomodoro’s centenary and thanked Iranian conservators for their efforts to preserve the Italian artist’s work.

The giant masterpiece had suffered various forms of environmental and surface damage during its years at Eram Park, according to Iranian heritage experts.

Pomodoro, who was born in 1926, is internationally known for his polished bronze sculptures characterized by ruptures and openings that reveal complex internal structures. His Sphere within Sphere series explores the contrast between apparently perfect external forms and their intricate interiors.

Large-scale works from the series are displayed at prominent locations including the United Nations Headquarters in New York, UNESCO headquarters in Paris and St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

AM