Prestigious U.S. Museum Shows Appreciation of Islamic Art

By William Amin
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- A leading U.S. museum has honored a prominent scholar for his life's work of teaching and writing about Islamic art and architecture.

On April 5, 2001, the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. bestowed on Professor Oleg Grabar the prestigious Charles Lang Freer medal "in recognition of his enormous impact on American understanding of Islamic art," according to Freer director Milo C. Beach.

The Freer medal was created in 1956 to recognize scholars for distinguished contributions to the knowledge and understanding of Oriental civilizations, as reflected in art. Grabar is the third scholar of Islamic art to win the award, after Iranian art specialist Roman Ghirshman in 1974 and Ernst Kuhnel in 1960. The Freer Gallery is part of the Smithsonian complex of national museums in Washington, D.C. The Freer medal commemorates Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), who founded the Freer Gallery, which currently houses more than 26,000 art works.

In his acceptance speech, Grabar praised the U.S. government's Fulbright program and the Ford Foundation for providing funds to scholars to pursue foreign studies. He also recognized the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its work of protecting cultural monuments around the world. Grabar completed his doctoral studies in Oriental languages, literature and art history at Princeton University in 1955 and taught those subjects at Harvard and Michigan University.

Since Grabar began writing and lecturing about Islamic art and architecture, university enrollment in these topics has risen and major U.S. museums have expanded their Islamic art collections and held more frequent art exhibits and cultural events featuring Islam and the Middle East. In addition, overseas travel to visit Islamic landmarks, even by non-Muslims, is booming, and, with higher flow of immigrants to the United States from Arab and Muslim countries, U.S. schools and media are making efforts to examine Islamic culture and heritage.

Grabar said Western understanding and appreciation of Islamic arts would be even greater if the ruling authorities in many Muslim countries did not often hamper Western scholars from studying Islamic cultural achievements. He said the authorities often restrict visas and travel permits and refuse access to monuments for academics from some countries and reject academic publications based on who wrote them, instead of their merit.

Grabar said "absolutely first-rate" modern art and artists exist across the Islamic world from Morocco to Indonesia. "What is really still missing is the presence of a passionate person" to create a collective cultural sense and lead a united, global promotional campaign for Islamic art, he said. An exhibit devoted to the "Arab Lands" could be a smashing success if held in a cosmopolitan city such as New York, he added.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)