Exhibit Review: Islam at The Louvre
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Lee Lawrence
FRANCE---The Louvre's "Arts de Islam" places arts from the Islamic world on a par with those from the museum's seven other departments, including European "Paintings" and "Sculptures," "Ancient Egypt" and "Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiquities." The museum thus presents Islam (which in French denotes a culture, not just a religion) as a civilization with distinctive artistic achievements. The narrative tries to insert into this chronological account a sense of what makes a work "Islamic." At one level, the museum showcases the breadth of Arab culture—from innovations in ceramics to charming clay water filters, from sumptuous textiles to poetry and music. At another, it strives to make the "Muslim other" more familiar by showing how Judaism, Christianity and Islam—all born and practiced in this region—have responded to such common impulses as wanting to express the sacred, facilitate prayer and disseminate holy writings. [link]
By Lee Lawrence
FRANCE---The Louvre's "Arts de Islam" places arts from the Islamic world on a par with those from the museum's seven other departments, including European "Paintings" and "Sculptures," "Ancient Egypt" and "Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiquities." The museum thus presents Islam (which in French denotes a culture, not just a religion) as a civilization with distinctive artistic achievements. The narrative tries to insert into this chronological account a sense of what makes a work "Islamic." At one level, the museum showcases the breadth of Arab culture—from innovations in ceramics to charming clay water filters, from sumptuous textiles to poetry and music. At another, it strives to make the "Muslim other" more familiar by showing how Judaism, Christianity and Islam—all born and practiced in this region—have responded to such common impulses as wanting to express the sacred, facilitate prayer and disseminate holy writings. [link]
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