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For more than a decade, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has been working to showcase works of art from the artistic traditions of the many nations and cultures that practice Islam. They've done that through collecting works and also partnering with some private collections to display such pieces in permanent gallery space.
And now, as of earlier this month, the museum has more than doubled the space it's devoting to those works, opening more than 6,000 square feet of new, permanent gallery space to show those pieces in its exhibit, Art of the Islamic Worlds.
The hundreds of objects on display include paintings, ceramics, metal ware, silk fabrics, manuscripts, and textiles from the seventh to nineteenth century.
In the audio above, Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty checks out some of them with the help of curator Aimée Froom.
PHOTO GALLERY:
- Iran, Ewer, 1607–08, brass; cast, engraved, and inlaid with black compound, the Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo Credit: MFAH)
- Indian, Jali, 1605–27, sandstone; carved, pierced, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo Credit: MFAH)
- Iran, Dish, 1654–55, stonepaste; painted in blue and black under transparent glaze, The Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo Credit: MFAH)
- Iran, Carpet, late 16th-early 17th century, cotton warp, and weft; wool pile. The Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo Credit: MFAH)
- Muhammad Baqir, Dancing Girl, 1778–79, oil on canvas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum. (Photo Credit: MFAH)
- Iran, Rudaba’s Parents Converse about her Love for Zal", folio 77v from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp, Attributed to ‘Abd al-‘Aziz under the direction of Sultan Muhammad, c. 1520–1540, ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper. The Hossein Afshar Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo Credit: MFAH)
- An ornamental pear on display near a painting in the new Art of the Islamic Worlds galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo Credit: Richard Barnes/MFAH)
- Inside the more than 6,000 square feet of new permanent gallery space at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston dedicated to Art of the Islamic Worlds. (Photo Credit: Richard Barnes/MFAH)
- Inside the more than 6,000 square feet of new permanent gallery space at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston dedicated to Art of the Islamic Worlds. (Photo Credit: Richard Barnes/MFAH)
