Beyond Orientalism – How the West was Won over by Islamic Art

Global interest in the Islamic world has reached a high point in recent years. At the same time, the influence of Islamic art on the world has declined. This was not always the case. In the past, both Europe and America were inspired by what was then called the ‘Orient’ and its artistic output. Western painters travelled extensively in the Middle East and India, recording their views of a region that was irresistible to Victorians with a sense of romance.

The exhibition ‘Beyond Orientalism: How the West was Won over by Islamic art’ looks further than Orientalist art. Instead of being about how European and American artists depicted the Islamic world, it shows how the Islamic world changed aesthetics in the West.

The aim of the exhibition is to put artefacts from the collection of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia alongside the works they inspired. Beyond Orientalism explores a world in which creative inspiration flowed in all directions and the eyes of the West were open to the beauty of Islamic culture.