The art of understanding: Islamic art at the V&A

Beauty and harmony

In today's climate of cultural conflict, the V&A's spectacular new gallery of artefacts from all across the Islamic world reveals less a clash of civilisations than a refreshing union of east and west, discovers Jason Elliot

Saturday July 15, 2006
The Guardian

A transformation has occurred at the V&A. This week, after three years of renovation and redesign, the new Jameel gallery of Islamic art will open its doors to the public with a spectacular collection of artefacts from across the Islamic world, many of which have never before been seen on display.
The new gallery, dedicated to the memory of its Saudi benefactor, Abdul Latif Jameel, is both timely and long overdue. Visitors to the V&A's former Middle Eastern display of Islamic art may recall a confusingly structured and poorly lit collection of disparate artefacts, overlooked by the sombre and greenish presence of a giant carpet. This - the famous Ardabil carpet - was said to be one of the finest Persian carpets in the world. However, it looked more like something dredged from a pond.