The Collections Gallery of the Aga Khan Museum is dedicated to showcasing the artistic achievements and lasting legacies of Muslim civilizations between the 9th and 19th centuries. Objects on view come from as far afield as Spain in the west and China in the east.
 

COLLECTIONS GALLERY

In the Collections Gallery, visitors will enjoy a rotating display of nearly 200 objects from the Museum’s Permanent Collection, masterpieces reflecting a broad range of artistic styles and representing more than ten centuries of human history. Including such works of art as manuscripts, painting, ceramics, glass, and textiles, the Collections Gallery provides an overview of the artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions of Muslim civilizations to world history and heritage.

Parts of the gallery are refreshed twice a year with themed installations that explore special topics and allow light-sensitive materials to rest.
 

THEMED INSTALLATION 

Blue, November 26, 2019 to October 19, 2020

The land like gold and the sea like lapis:
A fine blue-and-yellow brocade.
–Nizami

Explore the many shades of the colour blue and its journey across the map through paintings and objects on display in our Permanent Gallery. Blue signifies the cross-cultural exchange of the three main sources of blue used in Islamic Art— Lapis Lazuli, Cobalt, and Indigo. These essential elements in paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and textiles, were transported along the Overland Silk Road and Maritime Silk Route. Blue is also a colour of particular importance in literature and poetry due to its various symbolic meanings; it is used to portray various characters from mystics to love-crazed personalities such as Majnun!

Look for this symbol on object labels
 

BELLERIVE ROOM

The Bellerive Room is our homage to Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (1933-2003) and his widow, Princess Catherine Aga Khan, whose collection of Islamic art forms the core of the Aga Khan Museum’s holdings. The room is a recreation of the “La Chambre Persane,” or “Persian Salon,” in their home, Chateau de Bellerive in Geneva, Switzerland, where part of the collection was originally on display. 

The Bellerive Room features ceramics representing the breadth and depth of production from the Islamic world. While many of the items here were originally used on a daily basis, they are presented here for their beauty and the high level of craftsmanship that went into making them.

The Bellerive Room is free for visitors to enjoy during Museum hours and is available for private functions and other events. 

You can view the Bellerive Room on this 3-D virtual tour: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=DDJHkccqJV5

La Chambre Persane. Photograph courtesy of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

* Objects below will be featured in the themed installation BLUE, part of the Collection Gallery exhibition.

Click here to browse the collections.

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