New Books in Middle Eastern Studies Donna Stein, "The Empress and I: How an Ancient Empire Collected, Rejected and Rediscovered Modern Art" (Skira, 2020)
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Jan 26, 2026 Donna Stein, a curator who advised Empress Farah Diba Pahlavi and helped build Tehran’s modern art collection. She recounts selecting major works by Kandinsky, Picasso, Giacometti and Rauschenberg. She describes life in 1970s Tehran, organizing exhibitions, navigating the Queen’s office, and the collection’s long storage and slow rediscovery.
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First Trip Sparked Broader Role
- Donna Stein traveled to Tehran in 1973 and formed connections that led to a 1974 interview with the Queen's office.
- She proposed and began selecting works beyond her initial graphic-arts brief, expanding her role into paintings and sculptures.
Ten-Day Buying Blitz
- In ten days in May 1975 Donna and two Iranian colleagues bought 125 works across media for the nascent collection.
- Their purchases already included major names like Giacometti, Kandinsky, and Hartung from fairs and dealers.
Collection As Educational Bridge
- Stein built the collection from Impressionism through contemporary art to create an exemplary, educational museum.
- She emphasized works' place in art history and sought to educate Iranian audiences and officials about their value.
