TEHRAN -- Ambassador of the Netherlands to Tehran Cees J. Kole expressed his gratitude to Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) director Mahmud Shaluii for the contribution he made in loaning “Trinidad Fernandez” to the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) loaned the painting by Dutch artist Kees van Dongen (1877-1968) at the request of the museum. The artwork is on display as part of a 4-month show arranged by the museum under the title “All eyes on Kees van Dongen”.
The ambassador visited Shaluii at the museum on Tuesday where he expressed his personal interest in Persian art and culture saying, “Persian art is world famous and my country is interested in developing its art and cultural ties with Iran.”
“Art is like a bridge which connects nations together and the best means for that purpose is art,” he remarked.
“The Dutch exhibit that opened in October has generated intense media interest, indicating significant attention being paid by people and artists,” he declared.
Shaluii also talked about the influence of international artists and said, “Artists like Kees van Dongen are international in scope and not restricted to a specific country. They actually belong to the entire world.
“The officials in charge truly supported the loaning of the painting and most artists also had positive feelings toward its temporary transfer,” Shaluii said.
Photo: People visit an exhibition of paintings by Dutch artist Kees van Dongen at the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam in an undated photo. Iran has loaned Van Dongen’s “Trinidad Fernandez” to the showcase, which runs until January 23, 2011. (Boijmans.nl/Hans Wilschut)