TEHRAN – Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has apologized to the public for the insects that were found on a photo by Bernd and Hilla Becher on view at the museum.

Insects seen on a rare photo by the German conceptual photographers sparked a social media frenzy last week.

A video, which went viral last Sunday, shows two silverfish trapped underneath the glass of a frame for the photo.

In a statement published on Wednesday, the museum also praised the Iranian art community for their sensitivity to the artworks being preserved at the center.

“The artworks in the museum’s treasure trove are our national capital, and ensuring a proper preservation of the treasure is a significant topic of concern for us, and the Iranian art community’s regard for art is a valuable asset,” the statement said.

The museum also ensured that the insects have not caused any damage to the artwork.

A team composed of entomologist Siavash Tirgari, fine art restoration expert Samaneh Hosseinian and the museum’s conservation specialist Zahra Nikui examined the photo and the result was announced in the statement.

The team said that they have detected no trace suggesting that the insects have fed on the cellulose of the passe-partout used in the frame of the photo.

They also said they have not found any other insect on other works on display at the museum.

However, the museum was closed on Thursday and Friday for fumigation.

Photos by Bernd and Hilla Becher, well known for their industrial photographs, or typologies, are part of a collection of rarely-seen artworks of minimalism and conceptual art on view in an exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

Earlier in March, the museum also suffered a severe blow after a thespian slightly damaged an artwork named “Oil Pool” by mistake during his performance.

The solo performance entitled “Cat of the Silk Road” was put on by Yasser Khaseb as part of a program for the opening ceremony of the Panj Ganj Exhibition organized to commemorate Iranian poet Nezami Ganjavi.

During the performance, Kahseb’s body was suspended by a belt over Japanese artist Noriyuki Haraguchi’s “Oil Pool” and a part of it was immersed in the artwork’s oil, some of which dripped on the floor.

Located in a hall of the museum, “Oil Pool” is a sculpture featuring a large metal container filled with used engine oil.

Haraguchi executed the artwork at the museum in 1977 after creating several editions across the world, including the one set up at “Documenta 6” in the German city of Kassel.   

Photo: Two silverfish can be seen trapped underneath the glass of a frame for a photo by German conceptual photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

MMS/YAW