The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ collection of Islamic art, prevalently from Iran, is due to the visionary spirit of F. Cleveland Morgan. An avid collector of art from around the world and an important donor, he was actively involved with the Museum as director and chief curator for over half a century, inaugurating the Islamic Art collection in 1917. Over the next four decades, the collection grew and took its present shape through Morgan’s generosity and relentless persuasiveness, further inspiring fellow collectors to donate Islamic artifacts. Like most public Islamic collections in the west, the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts consists chiefly of ceramics, being particularly strong in 12th- and 13th-century production from Iran. This emphasis on Persian medieval art reflects the trend in both the market and scholarship at the time the collection was formed. Despite this predominance, the collection has a broad technical, historical and geographical scope, recently enriched by contemporary Iranian photography.
The visit to the Museum commences with a cocktail reception at The LAB DESIGN (5:00 pm -- 7:00 pm) and a self-guided tour of the Islamic Art permanent collection.
Address: Musée des beaux arts de Montréal, 3410 Avenue du Musée, Montréal (Québec) Canada
