Exhibition of the week Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World
British Museum, London WC1 (020-7323 8181, britishmuseum.org). Open now
“Prepare to enter an Aladdin’s cave,” said Rachel CampbellJohnston in The Times. The British Museum’s new Islamic gallery aims to communicate the “astonishing, multifaceted variety of the many civilisations in which the religion of Islam has played a shaping role”. And it does so wonderfully well – telling the story of the Muslim world through stateof-the-art displays packed with fascinating exhibits that offer endless revelations and no small amount of visual splendour. Covering the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day, and a geographical area stretching from Morocco to Indonesia, it brings together about 1,500 objects – from preIslamic Byzantine art that caught the eye of Muslim patrons to medieval ceramics and calligraphic scripts to brand new contemporary artworks. “This new gallery opens up a world of new wonders to the visitor.”
There is certainly “much here to learn”, said Waldemar Januszczak in The Sunday Times. The central narrative follows a “legible chronology” of Islamic art history, while peripheral displays explore intriguing “thematic titbits” – notably a “fine” section on astrology, a study pursued by Muslim scholars. The discussion is a global one: Islam in China, Africa and India are all the subject of “generous investigations”. Yet the curators seem determined to tell only the positive aspects of the story, and the “Islamic conquest” – the “remarkable creation” of an empire that stretched from Spain to China – is barely mentioned. Perhaps worse, the whole thing is textheavy and decidedly short on aesthetic “wow factor”. Frankly, there just isn’t enough visual excitement to hold the attention.
I couldn’t disagree more, said Jonathan Jones in The Guardian. “Wherever you look, there is something to catch your eye”, be it a beautiful collection of tiles from 13th century Iran, fine filigree metalwork or “sumptuous” Ottoman clothing. Commendably, the galleries also do away with many preconceptions we might have about the Muslim world: for example, we learn that, far from forbidding all representation in its art, Islam has inspired many portraits of humans and animals, as well as the gorgeous geometrical abstractions more closely associated with it. Ultimately, this permanent – and free – display goes “beyond individual objects to grasp and communicate the principles and intellectual power that give Islamic art its infectious harmony and abundance”. The British Museum’s new gallery is “a kind of miracle”.
The author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves picks her favourite books. Her latest novel, A Shot in the Dark, the first in a new comic crime series, is published by Raven Books at £12.99
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, 1951 (Virago £8.99). I first discovered the joy of reading with books like this one. It’s about not knowing what to believe, and is immensely skilful. When young Philip falls in love with his late cousin’s wife, has she bewitched him, or is she as innocent as she claims to be?
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, 1928 (Penguin £9.99). One of the best comic novels of all time, treating the cosmic injustices suffered by one Paul Pennyfeather. Brilliant characters abound, and the set piece of the school sports day at Llanabba, when little
Lord Tangent is accidentally shot in the foot with a starting pistol, makes me crease up just to think of it.
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty, 2013 (Faber £7.99). Shocking and suspenseful, this is a masterly novel. It was well adapted for TV, but I can highly recommend the audiobook read by Juliet Stevenson.
A Bear Called Paddington
by Michael Bond, 1958 (Harpercollins £6.99). Before the wonderful film franchise was born, I happened to pick up a couple of Paddington books while on holiday with friends, and in between reading rather more serious
books such as Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, annoyed everyone by repeatedly falling off my chair laughing.
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, 1938 (Vintage £8.99). Anyone writing about crime in Brighton has to start with Brighton Rock. It has influenced how everyone sees the town historically, from the razor gangs to the tawdry drinking establishments; from the seaside photographers to the ghost train on the Palace Pier. At the beginning of the film of Brighton Rock, it says that violent crime in the town has all gone now, thanks to the police – but did this really reassure anyone?