Encounters with Islamic Art

Encounters with Islamic Art LECTURE SERIES AND POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN COLLECTING, COMMUNICATION & DISPLAY A year-long programme of lectures, visits and workshops

organised by IESA UK (the Institut d’Études Superieures des Arts) in partnership with Leighton House Museum and Nour Festival

www.iesa.edu/islamic [email protected]

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CONTENTS

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ENCOUNTERS WITH ISLAMIC ART. LECTURE SERIES

Programme at a glance 3Presentation 3Course description and structure 3 Semester 1. The Aesthetics and Display of Islamic Art 4 Semester 2. The Collecting of Islamic Art in the West 5 Semester 3. Contemporary Art and its Markets 5Optional Study Trip 6Faculty 7Partner 7

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA/TITRE 1 IN COLLECTING, COMMUNICATION AND DISPLAY OF THE ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD

Programme at a glance 8Aims 8Course description 9 Postgraduate Diploma 9 Professional Masters/Tittre 1 9Course structure 9 Term 1. The Aesthetics and Display of Islamic Art 10 Term 2. The Collecting of Islamic Art in the West 10 Term 3. Contemporary Art and its Markets 11Assessment 11Credits and qualifications 11Application 11About IESA 12Locations 12Contact 12

Presentation

Intended for anyone with an interest in

the Arts of the Islamic world, this pro-

gramme explores the inter-relationships

between East and West from different

perspectives.

Our aim is to offer a new approach to

the understanding, appreciation and

communication of Islamic art and cul-

ture. Going beyond traditional historic

surveys, we concentrate on its underly-

ing appeal and significance through

the eyes of the collector.

Three different but complementary ap-

proaches underlie our course pro-

gramme.

LECTURE SERIES

ENCOUNTERS WITH ISLAMIC ART

Programme at a glance:• Accreditation: for pleasure • Location: London (UK)• Duration: September to June• Entry: September, January or April• Places: limited to 25 studentsudents per classWWW.IESA.EDU

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The first series of lectures concentrates

on the aesthetic qualities that charac-

terise the arts of the Islamic world, set-

ting the works of art in their cultural

context; the second traces the appeal of

the art from the Mediterranean to Euro-

pean collectors and explores the ex-

changes between East and West; finally,

the third semester is devoted to contem-

porary art in the MENA region and its

markets.

Course description and structure

The programme is presented in three

semesters over a course of one year,

from September to June. Taught over 12

weeks on Monday evenings from 6 to

8.30pm, each course consists of twenty-

two lectures, plus a one-day excursion.

Each course can be taken separately.

It is also possible to take the year-long

programme for credit at postgraduate

level. 3

SEMESTER 1 THE AESTHETICS & DISPLAY OF THE ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLDThe first strand explores the aesthetics of

Islamic art, starting with the main char-

acteristics of Islamic art, namely calligra-

phy, ornament and figural representa-

tion. By using case studies from art from

different periods and areas of the Islamic

world, lectures can provide focussed

analysis of specific works of art and bring

a greater understanding to what is inte-

gral to the works and how interpretations

can differ. Our approach is not chrono-

logical but rather focusses on the essen-

tial make-up of works of art produced in

the different areas of the Middle East and

other countries of the Islamic world.

Classes begin with an introduction to un-

derstanding the aesthetics of Islamic art,

placing it in its general cultural and so-

cial context. You will then examine how

these principles are modified and adapt-

ed to the varying demands of the differ-

ent political regimes, historical changes


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and social, economic conditions of the

Middle East. Succeeding lectures take

key principles of Islamic art, calligraphy

and ornament applying them to archi-

tecture, ceramics, glass and metalwork,

and textiles; talks on figurative repre-

sentation in the Islamic world, Persian

and Moghul painting concentrate on

the representation of figures and space,

firstly in relation to the art of the book

and then to portrait painting in the Mid-

dle East.

The final two sessions of the course in-

troduce the relationship between the

arts of the Middle East and Europe; the

link between traditional values of Islam-

ic art and contemporary art of the re-

gion.

Lectures are complemented by an all

day visit in the 6th week to the Ash-

molean Museum to explore the display

and collections of the new galleries.

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SEMESTER 2: THE COLLECTING OF ISLAMIC ART IN THE WESTThe second strand focuses on European

encounters with the Middle East and the

history of collecting of Islamic art in the

West, starting with the Middle Ages and

continuing through to the end of the 19th

century.

The rich tradition of artistic and scientific

exchanges in early Modern Europe had a

profound effect on European thought and

taste. Collecting formed part of the way

in which Europeans attempted to put this

knowledge into tangible form. By the

eighteenth century, there was less interest

in collecting authentic Eastern object and

more into creating European fantasies of

the exotic. In reaction to this, during the

nineteenth century the Middle East be-

came a destination for artists and writers

trying to find alternative and more ro-

mantic subjects. French conquests in

North Africa opened up new countries

and the English and Germans followed


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soon after. The final sessions thus con-

centrate on the nineteenth century,

when European artists and architects

ploughed North Africa and the Middle

East for inspiration and collectors ac-

quired important carpets, glass, ceram-

ics and metalwork both privately and in

Western museums.

SEMESTER 3: CONTEMPORARY ART AND ITS MARKETS The final strand covers Contemporary

Art in the MENA, its markets, geography

and distribution. This module focuses on

the modern history of intricate cultural

interconnections between the East and

the West, the emergence of the contem-

porary art scene, and the renaissance

of art patronage in these vast and any-

thing but homogenous regions.

The strand will explore the explosion of

the art market centred mainly around

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Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, tracing the

historical development, and mapping the

current state of the art scene, with its tra-

ditional centres like Cairo and Beirut and

the recent additions mentioned above.

Further topic is the rise of new collectors,

active both locally and internationally,

and the way these collectors have

changed the outlook of the art market

globally.

Equally, students will learn about the

surge of Western interest towards modern

and contemporary art in the MENA in the

recent decade, and the implications that

this interest has induced. What are col-

lecting and exhibiting practices of the

major museums and institutions, as well

as private organisations in the West, and

what do these initiatives signal within the

broader cultural and socio-political

realms, are all subjects to be discussed.

The course will also present the variety of

practices by Arab and Iranian artists fo-

ciusing on the geo-political contexts of


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their production, the expectations im-

posed by the Western institutions, cura-

tors, scholars and audience, and the ar-

tistic response to those expectations.

Final topic is the rise of new ambitious

projects, such as Saadiyat Island, the

museums in Doha, and numerous other

private and state initiatives, and what

do these inittiatives signify for the local

audiences on one hand, and on the oth-

er, what role do they play within the

globalised art world today.

OPTIONAL STUDY TRIPIn addition to the main programme, you

have an opportunity to take part in a

week-long study trip to Dubai and Doha

in March to coincide with Art Dubai, a

leading art fair in the Middle East, Glob-

al Art Forum, and other events taking

place alongside Dubai Art Week.

(Please note, the price of the trip is not inlcuded in the

course fees)

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FacultyThe lectures are given by a range of ex-

perts in Islamic art and culture and Con-

temporary Art of the MENA region, art his-

t o r i a n s , m u s e u m c u r a t o r s a n d

professionals in the art world working in

collaboration with IESA’s tutorial staff. The

programme course is under the direction

of Adriana Turpin, Academic director of

IESA /University of Warwick MA pro-

grammes in History of Collecting and

Contemporary Art Market.

The course tutors inlcude: Dr Rebecca

Bridgman (Curator at Birmingham Muse-

ums), Dr Anthony Downey (Programme

Director of the MA in Contemporary Art at

Sotheby’s Institute, editor of Ibraaz), Ed-

ward Gibbs (Head of Middle East and In-

dia department at Sotheby’s), Dr Valerie

Gonzalez (author of ‘Beauty and Islam:

Aesthetics in Islamic Art and Architec-

ture’), Rose Issa (curator, writer and pro-

ducer), Vali Mahlouji (independent cura-

tor), Nat Muller (independent curator &


Image copyright © Leighton House Museum

critic), Venetia Porter (Curator at the Brit-

ish Museum), Janet Rady (Contemporary

Middle Eastern Art specialist), Daniel

Robbins (Senior Curator at Leighton

House Museum), Stephen Stapleton (art-

ist, founder of Edge of Arabia), Mer-

cedes Volait (Institut national d’histoire

de l’art (INHA), and others.

PartnerLeighton House Now a museum in Kens-

ington, the house was built to Leighton’s

precise requirements, who turned it into

a ‘private palace of art’. It features the

extraordinary Arab Hall with its golden

dome, intricate mosaics and walls lined

with beautiful Islamic tiles, as well as a

fascinating collection of paintings and

sculpture by Leighton and his contem-

poraries. Many of the most prominent

figures of the Victorian age were enter-

tained in this room; including Queen

Victoria herself who called on Leighton

in 1859.7

Aims

Taking the Encounters with the Arts of

the Islamic World as a foundation, our

programme develops students’ under-

standing of the issues involved in the col-

lecting and display of Islamic Art

through weekly workshops and museum

visits.

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA/PROFESSIONAL MASTERS (TITRE 1) IN THE COLLECTING, COMMUNICATION AND DISPLAY OF THE ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD

Programme at a glance:• Accreditation: Postgraduate Diploma (60 ECTS credits) or Professional Masters (Titre 1) offered by IESA and validated by the French Ministry of Education and Culture)• Location: London (UK)• Duration: September to May• Entry dates: September or January• Places: limited to 10 students per class

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Our course is aimed at students who

may already be working but who want

to learn more about this subject either

for their own interest or in order to de-

velop their careers. A core element of

both the postgraduate diploma and the

professional masters is the communica-

tion of Islamic art, through the display

of objects as well as through channels

of information, thus making it a suitable

training for anyone interested in work-

ing in either the commercial or museum

field. The programme is grounded on

the students’ independent study, devel-

oped through presentations in the

weekly workshops and discussions in

museum visits, leading to a final piece

of assessed research.

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Course descriptionFor those who wish to take the postgrad-uate diploma, the final assessed piece of

work is a 10,000-word dissertation on any

aspect of the course covered during the

year from the collecting of the arts of the

Islamic world to their display. The disser-

tation can thus take the student into are-

as of historical research or contemporary

museum and gallery exhibition display

and marketing.

The professional masters (Titre 1) is

aimed at students who have already had

some work experience and wish to devel-

op more specialised, practical knowl-

edge of exhibition display and manage-

ment; marketing and communication.

This is assessed by the creation of a pro-

fessional project, which is then written up

and examined.

The course can be taken part-time over

two years to allow students in work the

possibility of completing written assign-

ments and the final project over the sec-

ond year. Students who opt to take the

course part-time would participate in the

research seminars in the second year

COLLECTING, COMMUNICATION AND DISPLAY

and complete written assignments and

the dissertation of project during the

second year.

Course structure

Whether you take the postgraduate di-

ploma or the professional masters (a

French titre 1) you follow the same

course curriculum throughout the year.

This consists of 2 ½ hours of lectures on

Monday evenings followed by Saturday

morning studies, which take the form

classroom seminars alternating with

museum visits. The seminars cover art

historical topics for part of each semes-

ter and then take the form of more pro-

fessional workshops on communication

and display. Students are expected to

present their research and discuss spe-

cific questions and case studies at each

session.

Museum visits concentrate on the crea-

tion, history and display of specific

works of art. During these visits, you will

also consider the display of the museum

collection and how various forms of

communication are used to effect differ

different methods of viewing and appre-

ciating of the objects.

Both groups write two essays each se-

mester. At the end of the year, the post-

graduate diploma students complete a

10,000 word thesis while those taking the

professional masters complete and ef-

fect an independent project. To get the

titre one, you will also need to attend a

formal viva based on this project.

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Each semester students have tutorials on

methodology and the processes of re-

search and essay writing. Throughout the

year research workshops build up stu-

dents’ skills in effective means of setting

up, creating and putting a project into ef-

fect.

TERM ONE: THE AESTHETICIS & DISPLAY OF THE ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLDSeminars and workshops led by the

course tutors support and develop the

theme of the semester by taking the ques-

tion of how communication about the

work of art is achieved, firstly by under-

standing the various meanings intrinsic

in any object and secondly, how to inter-

pret and communicate those meanings.

Issues raised in the lecture series are tak-

en further through case studies. Thus the

first workshops concentrate on specific is-

sues related to the aesthetic and cultural

values intrinsic to Islamic Art; they are fol-

lowed by sessions on different types of

display in museums historically and to-

day.

Museum visits held on alternate weeks to

the workshops take the students to exam-

ine the object in its display and to explore

the varying ways in which works of art in

museums are displayed. Sessions concen-

trate on such issues as labelling, back-

ground information, curatorial practice,

interpretation and engagement.

TERM TWO: THE COLLECTING OF ISLAMIC ART IN THE WESTThe focus of the second semester is on


methods of communication. Taught pri-

marily through workshops, sessions cov-

er the theoretical underpinnings of com-

munication strategies, from identifying

the demands of different audiences to

understanding the perception and re-

ception of works of art.

As this semester’s teaching concentrates

on issues of Western encounters with the

countries of the Mediteranean and the

Middle East, so the workshops raise is-

sues of interpretation within different

cultural backgrounds.

Theoretical approaches are then tested

against practice. Students learn how to

develop different strategies for muse-

ums, collections, temporary displays

and exhibitions. Attention is given to the

mounting of exhibitions and how to re-

late display to the needs of interpreta-

tion. Paralleling the study of collecting,

the object is now seen in the context of

the collection as a whole so that atten-

tion is given to the interpretation of the

entire body of the collection, museum or

exhibition.

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TERM THREE: CONTEMPORARY ART AND ITS MARKETSThe final semester concentrates on un-

derstanding contemporary art of the Is-

lamic worlds and new methods of com-

munication and marketing. The first

workshops consider the relationship be-

tween historic and contemporary art of

the Middle East, the historical and cultur-

al circumstances which have shaped

contemporary art in the region, and the

complications of terminology to be used

today.

Workshops on understanding audiences

and best practices in reaching out to

them are combined with further analysis

of the contemporary art world both in the

West and in the MENA region. Sessions

concentrate on bringing in and engag-

ing new audiences, the interpretation

and display of new forms of art, and

working with artists. Teaching thus main-

ly supports the research students are do-

ing for their dissertations and final pro-

jects.

AssessmentEach module is assessed through presen-

tations in workshops and museum visits.


At the end of each semester students are

expected to submit a 5000-word essay.

From June students work on the final

dissertation or project, which is to be

submitted at the end of November

Credits and QualificationsStudents applying for the postgraduate

diploma must have completed three

years of undergraduate study and

achieved a 3.5 average.

Students applying for the Professional

Master (Titre 1) must have studied either

at postgraduate level for one year,

achieving the equivalent of a postgrad-

uate diploma or Master one or have 3

years of experience working.

ApplicationTo apply for the postgraduate study pro-

gramme, please return the application

form with the following documents to

Marie Cambefort

[email protected]:

• CV

• University Diploma or other qualifica-

tion

• University Transcript

• 2 letters of reference (one should be

academic)

Fees-Postgraduate Diploma/Titre one: £6,000

-Lecture serries: £2,400

Please note that in the fees are included

all the entry fees to museums and trans-

ports outside London.

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Locations in LondonInstitute of Historical Research

Senate House,

Malet St,

London WC1E 7HU

Leighton House Museum

12 Holland Park Road

London W14 8LZ

Contactiesa.edu/islamic

[email protected]

About IESAIESA offers cutting-edge programmes in

Paris and London, forming knowledgea-

ble, well-rounded and open-minded

graduates with a finger on the pulse of

the art market.

Our two MA courses are set in two centres

of the art world - Paris and London. Vali-

dated by the University of Warwick, they

combine the study of art market practice

and study of art history, not be found in

any other single programme. Intensely

taught by an outstanding team of dedi-

cated teachers our students gain top aca-

demic and research skills, contacts and

experience in the art world.

Image copyright © IESA

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Encounters with Islamic Art

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