St. Petersburg, 7 December 2011 -- Following eight different exhibitions in Europe that attracted over half a million visitors, a new selection of masterpieces from the Aga Khan Museum collections are on show at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, from 9 December 2011 to 26 February 2012.
The exhibition is the first created from the Aga Khan Museum collections to centre on architecture in the Islamic World. The exhibition, sponsored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), has been organised in close cooperation with the Hermitage.
An agreement was signed spelling out future collaboration between The Hermitage and the Aga Khan Museum in areas of mutual interest such as conservation, exchange of technical expertise and exhibitions.
The exhibition is divided into six sections: “Sacred Typographiesâ€, which explores the sites and monuments of Islamic pilgrimage through paintings and drawings; “Religious and Funerary Architectureâ€, which examines mosques and commemorative shrines; “The Fortress and the Cityâ€, which encompasses forts and fortified towns; “The Palaceâ€, which looks at the residences of royal families; “Gardens, Pavilions and Tentsâ€, which discusses the arts of shelter; and “Architecture and the Written Wordâ€, which focuses on architectural spaces contained in miniature painting.
