General Supervisor of Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah (DAI) Sheikha Hussah Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah is to participate, in an honorary capacity, in a meeting of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art's board of trustees on January 11. Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah said in a statement, on Thursday, that Sheikha Hussah is the first Muslim to be part of this prestigious meeting that will tackle many issues related to the Museum's achievements and developments. It will also discuss the Middle Eastern art and culture and its intercontinental impact.
Sheikha Hussah, later, will also go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH) to see the expansion of "Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The Al-Sabah Collection" exhibition; an exhibition that showcases spectacular Mughal jewelry, illuminated manuscripts, exquisite ceramics, and intricately decorated ceiling panels, the statement said.
It added that this exhibition marks the first in a renewable five-year agreement between DAI and MFAH that enables the latter to present the glorious achievement of Islamic visual culture in a comprehensive display.
It was orignally agreed upon to display 67 art pieces; however, an amendment to the agreement allowed for the display of more than 250 art examples.
Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah at Kuwait National Museum was established in 1983 to transform the private collection of Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Sheikha Hussah Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah into a comprehensive exhibition of art from the Islamic world. A team of specialists from different institutions participated in this transformation.
The Al-Sabah Collection consists of a wide range of important objects, which include books, manuscripts, ceramics, glass, metal, precious stones and jewelled objects, architectural ornaments, textiles and carpets, coins and scientific instruments. The objects on display represent the full chronological and geographic spread of the Islamic world