Art Institute of Chicago Unveils New Galleries Showcasing Islamic Art

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
By AP

The Ascent of the Prophet to Heaven, page from a copy of the Khamsa of Nizami, c. 1600. Iran. Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection.

ILLINOIS---Art from across the Islamic world is on display in newly transformed galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago. Painting, calligraphy, textiles and carpets are among the items. The exhibition groups 100 pieces altogether. They range from small tiles and utensils to large architectural objects, like a pair of 12-foot wooden doors from 14th century Morocco. New calligraphy acquisitions on display for the first time include two pages from a 12th or 13th century Quran that feature colored ink on vivid pink paper. Another display shows art produced under the Mongols in Iran between the mid-13th and mid-14th centuries. Curator Daniel Walker says the collection spans the Islamic world, from Spain and Morocco to Central Asia and Indonesia. [link]