Aga Khan Museum opens in Toronto on Sept 18
(August 20, 2014) – The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto will open its doors to the public on September 18th, 2014.
The museum is dedicated to presenting an overview of the artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage.
The Museum’s Permanent Collection of over 1,000 objects includes masterpieces that reflect a broad range of artistic styles and materials.
These portraits, textiles, miniatures, manuscripts, ceramics, tiles, medical texts, books and musical instruments represent more than ten centuries of human history and geographic area stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Designed by architect Fumihiko Maki, the Museum shares a 6.8 hectare (17 acre) site with Toronto’s Ismaili Centre, which was designed by architect Charles Correa.
The surrounding landscaped park, designed by landscape architect, Vladimir Djurovic, will provide an exciting new green space for the city of Toronto.
“One of the lessons we have learned in recent years is that the world of Islam and the Western-world need to work together much more effectively at building mutual understanding especially as these cultures interact and intermingle more actively,” said His Highness the Aga Khan. “We hope that this museum will contribute to a better understanding of the peoples of Islam in all of their religious, ethnic, linguistic, and social diversity.”
From their earliest origins, Muslim civilizations have been characterized by a remarkable diversity of geographies, languages, and cultures.
“The Aga Khan Museum has an international outlook,” noted Henry Kim, Director of the Museum. “Home to a collection of astonishingly beautiful works of art, it will showcase the artistic creativity and achievements of Muslim civilizations from Spain to China. I think local and international visitors will be greatly surprised when they discover just how much the arts of Muslim civilizations are a part of our shared global cultural heritage.”
Since 2007, over 1 million people have experienced the splendour of the Aga Khan Museum Collection.
The Musée du Louvre in Paris, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, the Sakip Sabancı Museum in Istanbul, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore have all hosted temporary exhibitions of major works of art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection.
For more information about the Aga Khan Museum
please visit www.agakhanmuseum.org