This publication offers a wide-ranging account of the Mongols in western and eastern Asia in the aftermath of Genghis Khan's disruptive invasions of the early thirteenth century, focusing on the significant cultural, social, religious and political changes that followed in their wake. The issues considered concern art, governance, diplomacy, commerce, court life, and urban culture in the Mongol world empire as originally presented at a 2003 symposium at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and now distilled in this volume. This collection of 23 papers by many of the main authorities in the field demonstrates both the scope and the depth of the current state of Mongol-related studies and will undoubtedly inspire and provoke further research. The text is profusely illustrated by 27 color and 110 black-and-white illustrations.

An introduction to a previously unpublished major collection of Islamic, Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, notable for its exceptional range and breadth from earliest times to the present   The Farjam Collection of Islamic, and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, comprising over 5,000 artworks, is well known in the Middle East and to the cognoscenti but has remained unpublished until now. This two-volume publication comprises over 800 highlights from the collection, introducing it as a major resource for scholars, students, and bibliophiles. Unusual amongst collections of Islamic art, the exceptional range and breadth of this collection includes the arts of the Islamic world from earliest times up to and including the contemporary Middle East. This unique characteristic, represented across the themes of the two volumes, provides an unusual cross-cultural experience demonstrating continuity, dialogue, and influences—from within as well as in between the cultures—throughout centuries. Organized thematically with high-quality photography throughout, the book reflects current trends in the study of Islamic and Contemporary art through essays and entries written by eminent scholars.

The offering of gifts is a practice nearly as ancient and widespread as human culture itself. At courts throughout the Islamic world, the exchange of lavish gifts and endowments intimately linked art with diplomacy and royal ambitions, religion, and personal relationships. This beautifully illustrated book explores the complex interplay between artistic production and gift-based patronage by discussing works of great aesthetic refinement that were either commissioned or repurposed as gifts. By tracing the unique histories of certain artworks, the author reveals how the exchange of luxury objects was central to the circulation, emulation, and assimilation of artistic forms both within and beyond the Islamic world. The catalogue features seventy illustrations of artworks from the 8th to the 20th century. These include some of the most beautiful and least-known objects from the Islamic world, such as jewelry, armor and weaponry, enormous and ornate carpets, and illustrated copies of the Qur'an. Distributed for the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, in association with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Museum of Islamic Art, Doha(03/19/12-06/02/12)

A showcase of 500 highlights of the Farjam Collection, featuring painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture, installations, and videos   The Farjam Collection of Islamic, and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, comprising over 5,000 artworks owned by Dr Farhad Farjam, is a major collection well known in the Middle East and to the cognoscenti, but which has remained unpublished until now. This volume examines around 500 highlights from the Farjam Collection of Modern and Contemporary art from the Arab and Iranian worlds. Showcased with high-quality photography throughout, the expansive collection encompasses a wide variety of media, including painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture, installations, and videos. It features numerous treasures from across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including works by modern and contemporary artists such Dia al-Azzawi, Hassan Sharif, Mohamed Melehi, Bahman Mohassess, Hussein Bicar, Kadhim Haidar, Baya Mahieddine, Ayman Baalbaki, Rashid Rana, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Farhad Moshiri, Dana Awartani, Mounir Fatmi, Shezad Dawood, Mona Saudi, Susan Hefuna, Shirin Neshat, Mahmoud Said, and Sohrab Sepehri.   Bringing together historians, critics, and curators from around the globe to reflect on these works, through essays, entries, and interviews with leading artists, this volume demonstrates how this extraordinary collection highlights important trends and histories of modern and contemporary art of the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, and beyond.

This inspiring book accompanies the first traveling exhibition about Doris Duke’s estate Shangri La and its influential synthesis of modernist architecture and Islamic art and design. Situated on five acres of terraced gardens and pools overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Honolulu’s Diamond Head, Shangri La was the idyllic paradise of philanthropist Doris Duke, reflecting her personal passion for the art, architecture, and design of the Islamic world. The estate incorporates unique architectural features, such as carved marble doorways, jalis, and floral ceramic tiles, and the decor includes artifacts, such as silk textiles, jewel-toned chandeliers, and gilt and coffered ceilings, many collected during her travels. This volume presents an exclusive tour of Shangri La’s breathtaking interiors and landscape, including the splendid furnishings and art. Archival photographs of Duke and friends as well as correspondence and drawings provide a view into a lifestyle defined by the highest sense of aesthetics. Doris Duke’s Shangri La is sure to inspire both art and design lovers.