Art of Islam Exhibition opens 26 March

Charities

A major exhibition celebrating the achievements of Islamic civilisation opens next weekend in Buckinghamshire. The exhibition has been boosted by a grant of £49,950 from the Arts Council which will help fund events around the county and nearly £15,000 of other grants from 4 of the county’s local authorities. Exhibits will be borrowed from the British Museum, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, the Horniman Museum in London and from a major private collection owned by renowned UK collector andphilanthropist Razwan Baig.

The linked exhibition and Art of Islam Festival runs from March 26 until September 24, and is being organised by Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust. The official opening of the exhibition will come on April 29 when the special guest will be the Kuwaiti ambassador His Excellency Mr Khaled-al-Duwaisan

Organisers claim it is the largest display of Islamic art ever seen in public in the county or anywhere in the South East outside the great museums.

Treasures on display include carpets, paintings, furniture, metalwork, jewellery and calligraphy from across Asia – as well as one of the largest collections of Qur’ans in the country.

It will be centred at the Bucks County Museum in Aylesbury, but more than 100 associated events are planned across the county in collaboration with mosques, libraries and arts venues.

Events are planned in Chesham, Aylesbury and High Wycombe and Milton Keynes, and include opportunities for visitors to experience Islamic literature, poetry, ceramics, painting, music, calligraphy and textiles. A brochure will be available from the museum shortly and details are on the website.

Richard de Peyer,Directorof the Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust, said: “We are hugely excited by this exhibition. It’s one of the biggest and most ambitious we have organised and the exhibits are simply stunning. I think the public are in for a big treat. We hope that people looking for something to do over the Easter break will come along and have a look. Our shop will be stocked with a wide variety ofbazaar souvenirs so hopefully that will be an extra attraction.”

For opening hours of the Art of Islam Festival and a programme, visit:www.buckscountymuseum.org