Fund Forum donates books to Metropolitan Museum of Art

November 7, 2011

In late October 2011, New York's Metropolitan Museum, a world renowned cultural institution and collection, reopened refurbished galleries showcasing the art and architecture of the Islamic world. On display at the 15 galleries are exhibits from the Middle East, North Africa as well as South and Central Asia. To honor the event the Fund Forum donated unique books “Samples of eastern calligraphy and miniature art” and “Civilizations, States and Cultures of Central Asia” to the museum’s Islamic art department.

The book “Samples of eastern calligraphy and miniature art ” is the first experience of cataloging rare samples of calligraphy and miniature art indigenous to Oriental nations. It offers unique samples of ornamental art, miniature books and calligraphy. The images in the book represent carefully preserved ancient sheets featuring diverse scripts framed by exquisite patterns that demonstrate high mastery and fine artistic flair shown by local calligraphers and ornamentalists. It is published in Russian, Uzbek, English and French.

The other book, “Civilizations, States and Cultures of Central Asia” by academician Edvard Rtveladze, contains data on the history of civilizations in Central Asia, the way they formed and developed as well as on the cultures of Central Asia which existed in a close interconnection with the whole world. The last of the four chapters provides a detailed account of issues in the impact of oriental civilizations on the culture and art of the world. It is published in Russian, English and Japanese.

Based in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as The Met, was founded in 1870 and is one of the world’s largest and most frequently visited museums. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments.