Artist Conley Harris offers his take on Persian paintings Nov 7, 2009
The Boston artist was given the opportunity after Woodman Taylor, former assistant curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, invited him to create a series of his own works on paper in response to several pieces in the MFA s collection ... Although Glorious Beasts is the fourth in a series of Islamic art exhibits at the MFA to include like-minded work by a contemporary artist, it s the first in which that artist has been invited to make art directly inspired by the... (Boston Globe)
Serena and Safina ready to battle for world supremacy Oct 27, 2009
Line em up: From left, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Serena Williams of the US, Dinara Safina of Russia, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, Elena Dementieva of Russia and Venus Williams of the US pose during the draw for the WTA Tour Championships at the Museum of Islamic Art conference centre in Doha on Sunday. Reuters. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Top WTA players arrive for Sony Ericsson Championship 2009 draw ceremony Oct 26, 2009
Venus Williams of U.S. speaks at the draw ceremony of Sony Ericsson Championship 2009 at Qatar Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Oct. 25, 2009. The top eight players of WTA rankings and top four doubles teams are taking part in this tournament which is set to commence on Oct. 27. (Xinhuanet, China)
A simple artwork can be enhanced with the right frame Sep 11, 2009
"I know many Muslims would love to have these Islamic art pieces in their homes," said Zee Tengku Idris, the person responsible for bringing the artwork. "The verses are done creatively and owing to the unique element of these pieces. It can even be excellent decorative items on the wall," he said. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Caught up in a cartoon controversy Aug 22, 2009
But Boston College professor Sheila Blair, a specialist on Islamic art, asked, Art history without pictures. She was one specialist Yale consulted who favored publishing the images. (Boston Globe)
Israeli Museum Features Antique Timepieces Jul 21, 2009
The 106 clocks stolen from the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in 1983 were worth millions of dollars. (AP Photo). (CBS News -- World)
California man held in LA in stolen violin case Jul 21, 2009
In the 1983 theft, 106 timepieces worth millions of dollars disappeared from the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in a quiet section of Jerusalem. The case remained unsolved for more than two decades until Israeli police detectives finally cracked it - pinning the crime on Naaman Diller, a notorious Israeli thief who fled to Europe and died in the United States in 2004. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Down days for Baghdads antiques dealers Jul 19, 2009
After Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, goods from the neighboring country's wealthy homes and its national museum famed for Islamic art and Quranic manuscripts were hauled back here. More treasures came with the looting of Iraq's own national museum and Saddam Hussein's palaces in the lawless days after the American-led invasion of 2003. (MSNBC -- International)
A decade of Islamic art Jul 12, 2009
From tents and marriage certificates to carpets and swords, its been an inspiring 10-year journey for the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. THIS December, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) in Kuala Lumpur will have completed 10 solid years as a leading cultural beacon ... The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia has a square, modernist look on the outside but is full of details reflecting Islamic culture inside. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Spiritual street art Jul 3, 2009
Combining graffiti with Islamic art, Mohammed draws fascinating parallels between a modern art form and the rich Islamic creative heritage, by highlighting how each focuses on the beautification of words ... He further explains that he was truly inspired when he discovered that the word was the central focus of Islamic art ... Graffiti art is essentially the decoration of the word of man, while Islamic art is the decoration of the word of God. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Afghanistan's looted treasures Jun 16, 2009
Many are priceless objects of Islamic art looted in illegal excavations. They include a magnificent tall bronze bird. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Wright exhibit lacks agenda May 24, 2009
Among his many other sources, Wright was an admirer of Islamic art and architecture. Besides the main show I'd recommend a trip to the Sackler Center in the Guggenheim basement. (Boston Globe)
A pencraft pastime Apr 18, 2009
Visit a mosque and youll see khat etched on the dome, but while the Islamic art is closely linked to religion, Mohd Zahir points out that khat isnt restricted to verses taken from the Quran and Arabic words. Other works by Mohd Zahir which include a wedding card design and maritime wall hanging. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
A Brief Guide to The Metropolitan M... Apr 4, 2009
Islamic Art: Nearly 12,000 religious, domestic and luxury objects from the 7th to the 19th Century, including secular miniature paintings, manuscripts, ceramics, carpets, textiles, glass and metalwork from Iran, Mughal India, Egypt, Morocco, Syria and Mesopotamia. Robert Lehman Collection: 300 paintings from the early Renaissance to the 20th Century, more than 700 drawings by the Old Masters and 2000 European decorative works, among them important pieces of Renaissance majolica and Venetian... (Suite101.com)
Activists paint grim picture of U.S. in Afghanistan Mar 30, 2009
Attendees at the crash course also heard talks by former Peace Corps volunteers John Bing and Marc Tolo and Islamic art expert Elizabeth Ettinghausen about Afghan culture. The Coalition for Peace Action decided to host the forum in light of plans to escalate the number of troops, said the Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director of the Coalition for Peace Action. (NJ.com -- Times)
Latest Qatar project spotlights eye to future Mar 16, 2009
That gives the country, which boasts few long-standing civic or cultural institutions of its own, rare means to keep spending on big-ticket projects like the research park and the I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art opened late last year. "If Dubai was trying to be the Las Vegas of the Arab world, then Qatar is trying to be the Washington, DC," with its many universities and museums, said Hady Amr, director of the Brookings Doha Center, an arm of the U.S. think-tank in the Qatari capital. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
The Marrakesh express, children welcome Mar 11, 2009
over warm plates of Moroccan pancakes with honey and small cups of sweet tea before spending an hour in the garden's intimate Islamic art museum, filled with pottery, paintings, jewelry and carpets, many of which were part of Saint Laurent's personal collection. At the Bahia (which means brilliant) Palace, a complex of ornately decorated reception rooms, apartments and gardens built by a grand vizier at the end of the 19th century, we admired the architecture: mosaic ceilings, tiled courtyards... (International Herald Tribune)
Iranian immigrant channels pain into art Feb 26, 2009
"The patterns and geometric shapes are basic elements in Islamic art. I use them, but as you see, in a very loose and very free way. I'm using them in a Western manner, with a free brushstroke. ... I start with just brushstrokes and paint. I just start and then the painting guides me to different actions.". And now, a memoir. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Byzantium art': A fit-all category that belies its elusiveness Feb 8, 2009
"Islamic Art" from Arab Spain to Southeast Asia is one such invention now beginning to be recognized for what it is - a fit-all category that covers no artistic reality. "Byzantine Art" is another that may yet have a long life, judging from the show "Byzantium 330-1453" on view at the Royal Academy until March 22. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
