Museum Collection Medieval

Rocking the Casbah

If you were seeking the spirit of Picasso in the Middle East, you could study the work of Jawad Selim (1919-1961) and conclude that you had found it. Like many artists of his time, the grandfather of Iraqi modernism was influenced by the Spaniard's Cubism and geometric figures. But Selim was equally, if not more, inspired by Sumerian art, which also rendered subjects in stylized ways. In a work like Baghdadiat (1956), a lively streetscape, it's impossible to tell where modernism begins and the traditional forms of ancient Mesopotamia end.

The painting is currently featured in the inaugural exhibition at Mathaf — the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar. Titled "Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art," the show runs through October. Sajjil is the imperative form of record in Arabic — a reference to "Sajjil ana Arabi" (Record, I am an Arab), a line from the poem "Identity Card" by Palestinian author Mahmoud Darwish. Selim is one of over a hundred featured artists whose work furthers the exhibition's aim of highlighting art overlooked by modernism's Eurocentric gaze. "Art from the Arab world is not an afterthought or a copy," says Wassan al-Khudhairi, Mathaf's director. "There are multiple threads."

The works on display are entirely drawn from the collection of Sheik Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali al-Thani, a member of Qatar's royal family and the patron of Mathaf. He spent the past 25 years amassing a vast trove of modern and contemporary Arab art and offering shelter to artists, particularly Iraqis, fleeing unrest. "There are no parallels to a collection like this anywhere," says Salwa Mikdadi, a Palestinian-American curator who works at the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi.

The exhibition comes at a boom time for art in the Gulf, where petrodollars are being poured into a state-led artistic arms race. In Abu Dhabi, an $800 million Frank Gehry — designed branch of the Guggenheim and a satellite of the Louvre, by Jean Nouvel, are being built. In Qatar, a Nouvel-designed museum of local history is in the works. "Commerce has come," Mikdadi says. "Now art and academia need to catch up."

Unlike the Qatari capital's architectural centerpiece, the 2008 I.M. Pei — designed Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf is located on Doha's dusty periphery in an area called Education City, dotted with newly built colleges and construction sites. The museum is housed, for now, in a former schoolhouse restyled by French architect Jean-François Bodin. Echoing the development taking place all over Qatar, the space is deliberately designed to look impermanent. The entrance is framed by scaffolding and the front desk and lockers made to look like crates. "Nothing is fixed," says al-Khudhairi.

Pendant Lights | Bode Museum And Other Masterpieces of Medieval ...

If you are really into history and historical monuments and planning a vacation to some of these sites, then the information presented here can be useful and informative to you. Let’s look into three historical destinations located in different countries.Bode Museum is a well preserved museum of Berlin, Germany that was built in twentieth century. It was named after its curator Wilhelm Bode. It is an excellent example of Byzantine art and is the storehouse of various sculpture and artworks. If on is thirsty for medieval art, it is the perfect place for him. There are sculptures belonging to several countries like Germany, France, and Italy.

The palatial building of Bode Museum is adorned with a dome that is located in the northern direction of the monument. Among the sculpture collection, sculptures for Gothic, Renaissance, and medieval period are mot prominent. The famous “Flora Bust” was purchased from London also adorns the premises of the Museum. A separate museum dedicated to Byzantine art has huge collection of artworks form Africa, Egypt, Greece and Turkey. The numismatic collection of the museum is worth-watching. It has collection of coins and currencies belonging to Roman, European and Islamic civilizations.

The Epiphany is a scared feast day of Christians that celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as a human being. It is usually celebrated on January 6. The word “Epiphany” stands for “appearance” or “manifestation”. It celebrates the reappearance of Christ after his resurrection and is considered a day of immense religious significance.The Epiphanyis related to the famous visit of magi to the place of Christ’s birth.  There are several other important events of history that are attributed to this day I some way or the other. The day is celebrated with full zeal by the Christians. It is characterized by feast day that is important for both Eastern and Western Churches.

There are several traditions that are associated with this sacred day. In medieval times, people used to sprinkle water over their houses. A procession that was led by head of the family and was celebrated by writing the names of holy kings on the walls of the room symbolized their ardent faith in Christ. At some places, the celebrations are not restricted to a single day but are carried over eight days.

Early medieval art, with illustrations from the British Museum collection

Medieval Wooden Sculpture in Sweden: Museum Collection, Plates

The Brummer Collection of Medieval Art

Medieval Wooden Sculpture in Sweden: The museum collection: plates

Medieval studies, an introduction