Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual History - Hardcover

Nasser Khalili

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585678392 ISBN 13: 9781585678396

Publisher: Abrams Press, 2006

Synopsis

An oversized visual history of Islamic civilization as reflected in its fine art spans 1,200 years and surveys a range of media, from architecture and painting to silk textiles and calligraphy, in a volume that also demonstrates the relationship between Islamic artists and their western peers.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Now more than ever, Islam and Islamic culture is a topic that is as misunderstood as it is fascinating. In this exquisite oversized volume spanning 1200 years of history, celebrated scholar Professor Nasser D. Khalili presents a benchmark visual history of the peoples, the cultures, and the artworks that have defined the Islamic world. From Spain to Indonesia, North Africa to China, more than fifty of the world’s nations are of the Muslim faith. The material culture of the Muslim people is accordingly rich and varied, ranging from taking in architectural projects on a huge scale and minutely detailed miniature paintings, exquisitely patterned silk textiles and bold yet sophisticated calligraphy. Written histories of the art of the Islamic lands have until now either been very general or highly focused on particular regions or types of artifacts. Now the spectacular format of Islamic Art and Culture provides the reader to view the magnificent sweep of the arts of Islam in a unique and accessible way. Diverse developments throughout the Islamic world are compared simultaneously across time and place, and specific objects and buildings seen in the light of key events in Muslim history. From calligraphy to carpets, armor to architecture, this book voluptuously reveals the immense heritage handed down through Islamic artists over the centuries, and examines their relationship to their Western peers.

About the Author

Professor Nasser D. Khalili, who was born in Iran, is a scholar, collector, and benefactor of international standing. He has made many notable contributions to the study of Islamic art, having endowed in 1989 the Nasser D. Khalili Chair of Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University of London, the first chair devoted to the decorative arts of Islam to be founded at any university. He is also a cofounder and Chairman of the Maimonides Foundation, which promotes peace between Jews and Muslims.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abrams Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1585678392
• ISBN 13: 9781585678396
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192