TEHRAN – German op artist Gunther Uecker commemorated Hafez (1325-1389), one of the finest lyric poets of Persian literature, by his exhibition of paintings, which opened at the mausoleum of Hafez in Shiraz on Sunday.

A large number of Iranian and German officials, artists, and Persian literature aficionados accompanied Uecker in the opening ceremony of the exhibit entitled “Tribute to Hafez” (“Huldigung an Hafes”), Persian media reported on Monday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Uecker, who took inspiration from the ghazals of Hafez to create the collection, called the rich poetry of Hafez a tangible expression of both told and untold stories. He also said that the fragrance of heaven in breezes in the East has encouraged him to respect ghazals of Hafez in his paintings.

Director of the Cultural Section of the German Embassy, Justus Kemper, regarded the exhibition “Tribute to Hafez” as the return of Uecker to Iran, and said that Uecker has been impressed by the people of Iran, and their rich and beautiful country.

The influence of the rich culture and civilization of Iran in the paintings of Hafez are a reflection of his experience in Iran, he added.

The works will be on display in a month-long exhibit at Tar-o-Pood Gallery in Shiraz. The collection will later be shown in the Imam Ali (AS) Religious Arts Museum in Tehran for one month.

Uecker has donated the works to the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hannah Baader, a permanent Senior Research Scholar at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, and Gerhard Wolf, the Director of the Kunsthistorischen Institut, were among the participating guests.

Photo: German op artist Gunther Uecker (2nd L) and some unidentified persons visit his exhibition at the tomb of Hafez in Shiraz on May 1, 2016. (IRNA/Reza Qaderi)

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