Aga Khan Museum to open next month
The Aga Khan during a past press briefing. He said the museum is dedicated to presenting an overview of the artistic, intellectual and scientific contributions that Muslim civilisations have made to world.
What you need to know:
- It is dedicated to presenting an overview of the artistic, intellectual and scientific contributions that Muslim civilisations have made to world, the Aga Khan said.
- “We hope that this museum will contribute to a better understanding of the peoples of Islam in all of their religious, ethnic, linguistic and social diversity,” he said.
- “Local and international visitors will be surprised to discover how much the arts of Muslim civilisations are a part of our shared global cultural heritage,” he said.
The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto will open its doors to the public on September 18.
It is dedicated to presenting an overview of the artistic, intellectual and scientific contributions that Muslim civilisations have made to world, the Aga Khan said.
The museum’s permanent collection of over 1,000 objects includes masterpieces that reflect a broad range of artistic styles and materials.
The portraits, textiles, miniatures, manuscripts, ceramics, tiles, medical texts, books and musical instruments represent more than 10 centuries of human history and a geographic area stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Designed by Fumihiko Maki, the museum shares a 6.8 hectares site with Toronto’s Ismaili Centre, which was designed by architect Charles Correa.
The surrounding landscaped park, designed by Vladimir Djurovic, will provide an exciting new green space for the city of Toronto.
“We have learnt that the world of Islam and the Western world need to work together.
“This will effectively build a mutual understanding — especially as these cultures interact and intermingle more actively,” the Aga Khan said.
BETTER UNDERSTANDING
“We hope that this museum will contribute to a better understanding of the peoples of Islam in all of their religious, ethnic, linguistic and social diversity,” he said.
The Aga Khan said that from their earliest origins, Muslim civilisations have been characterised by a remarkable diversity of geography, languages, and cultures.
He said Toronto — and Canada in general — is internationally recognised for embracing such diversity.
The Aga Khan said it provides an ideal home for an institution that strives to promote mutual understanding, respect and tolerance among the world’s cultures.
“The Aga Khan Museum has an international outlook,” the Director of the Museum, Henry Kim, said.
“Local and international visitors will be surprised to discover how much the arts of Muslim civilisations are a part of our shared global cultural heritage,” he said.
Since 2007, over one million people have experienced the splendour of the Aga Khan Museum Collection.
The Musée du Louvre in Paris, the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, the Sakýp Sabancý Museum in Istanbul, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore have all hosted temporary exhibitions of major works of art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection.
