Almost overnight nearly all of Tehrans billboards, which are owned by the city and are a prime source of income, stopped showcasing South Korean dishwashers and the latest bank interest rates (now 22 percent) and sported still lifes by Rembrandt and images by the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Residents of Tehran, who spend hours a day on congested roads, often protecting their mouths from the continuous blanket of smog, rubbed their eyes at the sight of works by such artists as Rothko (Nos. 3, 10 and 13) and Munch (The Scream, of course), along with pieces by prominent Iranian artists.
My usual morning route has become a big adventure for me, said Hamid Hamraz, 58, as he navigated his yellow Peugeot taxi through traffic on the Hemmat highway. Now, in my taxi we discuss paintings and artworks.
Such discussions are exactly what the project aims for, said Mojtaba Mousavi, a counselor to the Organization of Beautification of Tehran, a municipal group in charge of decorating walls, parks and other public spaces, including billboards.
Our people are too busy to go to museums and galleries, he said. So we decided to turn the entire city into a huge gallery.
The mayor jumped at the idea, said Reza Bagheri, another city official. All of this was done under his wise guidance, he said. Mr. Ghalibaf loves art, especially in recent years he has developed a deep love for artistic works. Managing a big city like Tehran goes beyond providing services. Culture and art should be a part of this too.
He added: I am not saying this because I work here.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"]
A billboard in Tehran with a copy of Munch's "The Scream." The city's mayor is backing a project to decorate walls, parks and other public spaces with famous artworks, many of them Western. Credit Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times[/caption]Perhaps not, but analysts here detected an ulterior motive in the mayors sudden devotion to fine art. As in the United States, political factions are already preparing for the 2016 presidential elections. And Mr. Ghalibaf, despite the two defeats, is known as a canny and ambitious politician.
With a deal on Irans disputed nuclear program possible this summer, and with it a possible warming of relations with the United States, the mayor might be trying to position himself as the right man for the times, analysts say.
Presenting art to the middle classes of Tehran is clearly an attempt to win their favor, said Hamid Taheri, 65, a historian and art collector. I dont mind though its amazing to see art across the city. Its unique.
Of the works, chosen by a special committee of the beautification organization, more than 30 percent are foreign, including works by John Singer Sargent and the photographer Lee Friedlander.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"]
The mayor of Tehran directed all of the city's 1,500 billboards fitted out with famous works of art. Credit Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times[/caption]Among Iranian artists, only works of the deceased were considered, as some of the more modern work could lead to objections that we wanted to avoid, Mr. Mousavi said. On display are old Iranian carpets, paintings inspired from the famous Book of Kings, and works by Bahman Mohassess, who is known as the Persian Picasso.
I love this idea, said Manijeh Akbari, a 60-year-old who lives in the western neighborhood of Saadat Abad, but the city shouldnt forget the sidewalks need to be cleaned as well.
For years after the 1979 revolution, even advertisements were frowned upon by Irans clerical leaders, who favored placards. A famous one during the Iran-Iraq war read, The blood in our veins is a gift to our dear leader. Walls often were decorated with murals portraying the martyrs of the war, in which 400,000 young Iranian men were killed.
Though billboard art has largely moved on to commercial themes, the new offerings have been widely and enthusiastically welcomed.
It is fantastic to see a Rembrandt hanging above the Modares Expressway, said Mahtab Ahmadi, 24. Its great to see art, Iranian and foreign; it is a really cool decision by the city.
Some said they had never gone to a museum, but welcomed the art.
Of course it is better to see art instead of ads, said Majed Hobi, a 19-year-old physics student. This really inspires me to for the first time in my life to go to a museum, instead of again going out and smoke water pipe.
This article was written by Thomas Erdbrink for The New York Times on MAY 7, 2015. Thomas Erdbrink, one of the few Western reporters accredited for U.S. media in the Islamic Republic of Iran, joined The Times in 2012 as Tehran bureau chief.
