The Orientalist Museum (part of Qatar Museums Authority) is holding a unique exhibition entitled “A Journey into the World of the Ottomans”. The exhibition will take place from 29 October 2010 until 24 January 2011 in the temporary gallery of the Museum of Islamic Art and is part of QMA’s activities celebrating Doha as the Arab Capital of Culture 2010.
The exhibition will display artworks from the Orientalist Museum’s own collection as well as several paintings on loan from the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, and other major private collections in the UK and the Netherlands. Some of the artists featured in the exhibition include: Bernardino Campi, Jacopo Ligozzi, Nicolas Rycks, Jean-Baptiste Vanmour, Jean-Étienne Liotard, Antoine Ignace Melling, Francesco Hayez, John Frederick Lewis, Walter Gould, Alberto Pasini, Germain Fabius Brest, Oskar Kokoschka, Nikolai Kalmikoff, Vanessa Hodgkinson and Bas Princen; all of whom produced orientalist artworks from the 16th century onwards.
The selected artworks will illustrate the history and evolution of the orientalist art movement from the 16th to 21st centuries. The exhibition covers different genres of orientalist art and demonstrates how they shaped the image of Ottomans in Europe throughout the years.
Alongside the exhibition, a two-day international conference will be held by the Orientalist Museum at the Museum of Islamic Art on November 28th and 29th 2010. The academic conference will explore the subject of Orientalism in art, examine the interconnected history of the Ottoman and European empires as well as their cultural exchange from the 16th to the 21st centuries. Registration for the conference is open to the public and can be done through QMA’s website.
In addition, a costume workshop will take place in MIA’s Education Centre for children from 9-13 years old, giving participants the opportunity to dress up as their favourite characters from orientalist paintings.
“A Journey into the World of the Ottomans” will feature a catalogue of all the paintings on display offering an insight into Orientalist art and its relationship with other scholarly fields.
Entry to the exhibition will be charged at 25 QR for adults, and is free for students and children under 16.
Image: Orientalist Museum
Qatar Museums Authority
P.O BOX: 2777
Doha, Qatar
Phone: +974 – 4452 5555
Fax: +974 – 4452 5556
www.qma.com.qa