“The finest collection of 20th-century Western art outside Europe and America has been gathering dust in storage. Why? Because it’s owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” where artistic freedom is unheard of and heavy censorship is a way of life. In fact, the collection was very nearly sold off after Iran became an Islamic theocracy in 1979 and Western culture became the enemy of the state. “The art was saved, probably for commercial reasons, but it remained mostly unseen, while the museum put on edifying shows of religious and revolutionary art.” But now, the complete collection is on display at Tehran’s national museum for the first time since the revolution that brought the mullahs to power.