Visitors have expressed satisfaction with the exhibition and themes in the paintings.

An exposition of Iranian paintings opened in Imam Ali (AS) Religious Arts Museum on Friday.
According to the museum’s Public Relations Department, the exhibition aims to display paintings by contemporary Iranian artists such as Mahmoud Farshchian, Aidin Aqdashlou, Jazeh Tabatabaei, Kazem Chalipa, Reza Derakhshani and other painters.
The exhibition will continue until June 18.
Secretary of the event, Farah Osouli said that no special program was held to inaugurate the exhibition.
Referring to the significant participation of artists and enthusiasm shown by visitors in the exhibition, she said that many visitors have expressed satisfaction with the exhibition and the themes expressed in the paintings.
Seyyed Mohsen Hashemi, in charge of the museum, said the exhibition displays a collection of contemporary paintings on different subjects.

Artifacts found in Rahmhormoz, Khuzestan province

Director of Ramhormoz Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Office has announced that two ancient brass sarcophagi from the Neo-Elamite period (2700-539 BC) were accidentally discovered in recent excavations by a contractor for Water and Sewage Company, said ISNA.
Fardin Bigdeli noted that the sarcophagi contain valuable objects. He pointed out that an employee of Water and Sewage Department phoned Ramhormoz Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Office and reported coming across archeological works about six kilometers from the city of Ramhormoz.
“We also informed the governor’s office to prevent the plunder of artifacts. Police were stationed in the area to maintain security in the region,“ Bigdeli added.
An archeologist, Loqman Ahmadzadeh, said the sarcophagi are U-shaped and their handles have been fixed to the main body of the coffins. According to Ahmadzadeh, all evidences indicate that the coffins belong to the Neo-Elamite era.

Coordination between private and state sectors in organizing cultural-artistic programs can resolve many problems facing the sector, observed a noted artist.
Hossein Khosrowjerdi, a painter, graphic designer and sculptor, told Fars that the government cannot hold all cultural programs in the country alone.
He pointed out that the government is responsible for consolidating the foundation of national cultural sector by earmarking funds for the purpose. “However, if the government cannot afford it, it can seek the assistance of the private sector,“ he said, criticizing that no cultural and artistic program is held according to schedule.
Khosrowjerdi further criticized that the Biennial of Visual Arts was not held this year because it coincided with the Biennial on Posters of the World of Islam and Iran’s Graphic.
He proposed that such exhibitions be held in different times of the year so that the artists can display all their paintings. “When it is arranged that our painting houses exhibit the works of graphic designers from Iran and the World of Islam, we cannot expect all paintings to be the work of noted graphic designers,“ he concluded.

Some 11 out of 19 works by noted Iranian designer, illustrator and caricaturist Ardeshir Mohasses were sold in the first hours of an exhibition of his works in Tehran, reported ISNA.
Organizers of the event could not showcase more than 19 of the artist’s works, which are on public display for the first time, due to limited display area of Homa Art Gallery.
Artistic works by Mohasses were priced between five million to nine million rials.
Mohasses, who is now residing in the US, is in his seventies and is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He is now unable to undertake any serious activities.
Director of Homa Art Gallery, Parviz Maleki, met Mohasses during a recent visit to the US and he chose some of his works for display in Tehran.
An exhibition of works by Mohasses was held in New York Museum of Modern Arts last year.

An expert has outlined plans by Parse Foundation for Research Studies to restore Parse-Pasargad archeological site in the year to March 2008.
Hassan Rahsaz told CHN that experts of Parse-Pasargad Foundation will conduct studies on Pasargad (Takht-e Jamshid) water canals and undertake earth-removal operations to bring to light some obscure facts about the site.
He said that another plan is to save the bas-relief which shows a winged-figure thought to be the Achaemenid King Cyrus, depicted by four Assyrian wings.
The bas-relief, he pointed out, is the most vulnerable artifact in Pasargad which should be saved from erosion. Therefore experts decided to relocate it to a museum and install a moulage in its place.
Although the moulage was not ready even after two years, Rahsaz confirmed that experts are preparing it for replacement by an authentic bas-relief.
Asked about the fate of Pasargad after the inundation of Sivand Dam, Rahsaz said studies are underway to measure the level of humidity and temperature, and hygrometers and other devices will be installed in certain points.
“Last year Parse Pasargad Research Center succeeded in transferring clay kilns from Bolaghi Pass, which are currently maintained in the center,“ he said, adding that following the restoration of Pasargad Museum, relics salvaged from Bolaghi Pass will be displayed there.

Persian Language and Literature Academy has announced that work on compiling a comprehensive Persian dictionary will begin by the end of June.
Noted a member of the academy Persian linguist, Ali Ashraf Sadeqi, further said that lexicon from more than 1,000 Persian texts has been selected for inclusion in the dictionary, ISNA reported.
He hoped that the dictionary will be completed within the next 10 to 15 years.
Sadeqi pointed out that a total of 35 million lexical items are available in the computer corpus and researchers can gain a lot from the corpus.
Commenting on the arrangement of words, he noted that the dictionary will include both old entries and new scientific words which have entered the language following the latest scientific achievements.
Referring to dictionary writing in the West, Sadeqi believed that Iran lags many years behind the West in terms of compiling dictionaries.

Hollywood’s biggest superhero now has the biggest box-office debut.
“Spider-Man 3“ took in a record $59 million domestically on opening day Friday, breaking the previous all-time high of $55.8 million for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest“ in its first day last summer, AP reported.
Sony Pictures, the studio behind the “Spider-Man“ franchise, also reported Saturday that the movie took in an additional $45 million overseas on Friday for a worldwide total of $104 million, a record for single-day grosses globally.
The first “Spider-Man“ pulled in $114.8 million domestically in its debut weekend in 2002, a record that stood until “Dead Man’s Chest“ shattered it with $135.6 million last July.
“Spider-Man 3“ opened to record numbers in some countries as early as Tuesday and expanded to other locations over the next few days. Elzer said figures for the film’s total worldwide haul since Tuesday would not be released until Sunday.
The film, which cost $258 million to make, already had a record going into the weekend. It opened in 4,252 theaters domestically, topping the previous record of 4,163 set by “Shrek 2“ in 2004.

A documentary about Aminabad Psychiatric Hospital will be presented in the 60th Cannes International Film Market to be held in the southern France later this month.
According to Fars, ’Land Forgotten by Time’ is a 50-minute film directed by Ali Shahriari, which was featured in the documentary section of the 25th Fajr International Film Festival.
Shahriari spent four months in Razi hospital, previously known as Aminabad, to study the lives of mental patients there.
The documentary, which is produced by Tehran’s Art Center, will be featured in the Iranian cinema pavilion of Cannes.

Murals depicting the life of Buddha and painted 800 years ago have been discovered in a cave in a remote area of Nepal, a report said.
According to UPI, a team of archaeologists and mountain climbers spent three weeks searching for the cave, The Times of London reported Saturday. They learned of the paintings from a shepherd who found them when he took shelter in the cave a few years ago.
The cave is in Lo Manthang, capital of Mustang, a semi-autonomous kingdom on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Mustang placed itself under the protection of Nepal in 1950 to avoid a Chinese takeover when Tibet was annexed.
The team, including two Nepalese archaeologists and an Italian art expert who helped restore the Sistine Chapel, have not revealed the exact location of the cave. In addition to the murals, they found manuscripts, pottery and gold and silver items.
The archaeologists say that the cave may have been used for burials.