Image courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art
With the long-term loan agreement with the Keir Collection trustees, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) has transformed into the third largest repository of Islamic art in the United States.
In celebration of the opening of The Keir Collection of Islamic Art Gallery, the DMA hosted a three-day celebration of family activities and scholarly talks to highlight the strengths of the collection. Among those invited to the Islamic Art Festival was UT Art History master’s candidate Michael Falcetano. On Saturday, November 18, Falcetano gave a spotlight talk titled, “The Utilitarian Object in Islamic Art,” exploring objects from the Keir Collection that were made to be used in everyday life.
The Keir Collection of Islamic Art Gallery offers one of the most important holdings of luster pottery and rock crystals in the world including the celebrated rock crystal ewer, one of only seven in the world of its caliber and the only one of its type in the United States. Falcetano lead a tour of the galleries, which included special attention to the ceramics collection and a discussion into the the rich history of ceramics in Islamic art and culture.