JEDDAH, 4 February 2004 — London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is to open a new gallery of Islamic art made possible by a £5.4-million donation from a Saudi company. The museum said the gift was one of the most generous it had ever received.
The new gallery will house treasures from the V&A’s collection of more than 10,000 ancient Islamic objects from the Middle East. The museum will transform a gallery and from 2006, exhibit thousands of Islamic pieces including carpets, glass, ceramics and woodwork.
The gallery will include such famous pieces as the Ardabil Carpet from 16th century Iran — reputedly one of the largest and finest hand-woven carpets in existence.
Exhibits will include carved ivories from Islamic Spain, inlaid metalwork from medieval Egypt, Iznik ceramics from Ottoman Turkey, tile work from 14th century Uzbekistan and oil paintings from 19th century Iran.
In addition, the donation will fund a touring exhibition of the artworks which will visit the US and Japan before returning to the Sheffield in the UK before the gallery’s scheduled opening in 2006.
The donation comes from the Oxford-based motor company, Hartwell which is part of the Abdul Latif Jameel Group. The gallery will be named The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art in honor of the late Abdul Latif Jameel, founder of the Saudi parent company.
The Abdul Latif Jameel Group, founded in Saudi Arabia 60 years ago, has a reputation for philanthropy. It has funded a $30-million (£16-million) project providing vocational training to young Saudis and also developed programs helping Saudi women to acquire marketable skills.
