“The Arts of Islam: Treasures From the Nasser D. Khalili Collection” has gone on display at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The exhibition of 500 items, selected from the 20,000 in the collection, showcases both the secular and religious arts of Islam. Of particular interest is a watercolor of Makkah from 1834.
Items from the Khalili Collection have often been displayed in the West, but this is the first time the collection is being shown in the Middle East. The exhibition presents the collection’s artwork through a series of themes. These include the development of the arts associated with manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an, especially calligraphy; arts associated with the pilgrimage; everyday and treasury objects; miniature painting; and carpets and textiles. Other groups of objects focus on the talismanic use of verses of the Holy Qur’an; science in the service of religion; horsemanship; falconry; and interaction with Europe.
A fully illustrated catalog, published in Arabic and English, accompanies the exhibition and a symposium, a series of lectures and other educational programs are also being held. The exhibition runs through April 22 and is supported by an informative website at www.artsabudhabi.com/exhibition.php.
Of course the exhibition in Abu Dhabi is just an introduction to the larger Khalili Collection.
Professor Nasser D. Khalili began assembling this collection of Islamic Art in 1970. It is now ranked as one of the best in the world. The Khalili Collection holdings include miniature paintings and illustrated manuscripts. Its coverage of the decorative arts — ceramics, textiles, glass, metalwork and others — is comprehensive. A central place in the collection has been given to the art of calligraphy, which plays an essential role in the art of the Islamic world. The Khalili Family Trust sponsors an informative website, www.khalili.org, which documents the collection. A slideshow at the website provides images of many items in the collection, accompanied by details of the artwork. A catalog of the entire Islamic Collection is being published under the auspices of the Khalili Family Trust and will comprise 31 volumes in total, 17 of which are already available.
Professor Nasser D. Khalili, an eminent scholar, is passionate about art and collecting. One of his reasons for assembling the Khalili Collection is to promote greater understanding between people of different cultures and faiths and to increase awareness of the rich contributions of Islamic cultures to world art. He believes that “religion and politics have their own languages, but the language of art is universal.”
