Texas Art Museum's Announce Two Islamic Art Coups

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
By Molly Glentzer

An 85-carat emerald inscribed with the Throne Verse
from the Qur'an (II:255) is one of the treasures from the al-Sabah Collection

TEXAS---It wasn't quite as simple as rubbing Aladdin's lamp, but the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston suddenly has an extraordinary gallery of Islamic art. The museum has signed an agreement with the owners of Kuwait's famed al-Sabah Collection that will bring an exhibit of 60 exquisite Islamic art objects here on a long-term loan starting Jan. 26. A similar genie seems to have been at work Thursday further north up I-45. The same day the MFAH made its announcement public, the Dallas Museum of Art announced it has hired its first senior advisor of Islamic Art, Sabiha Al Khemir, one of the world's leading experts and the founding director of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. "With her appointment, the DMA embarks on a new emphasis in our collections and exhibitions strategy," said DMA director Maxwell Anderson. [link]