Giovanni Curatola
Professor Giovanni Curatola is a professor at the University of Udine, Italy and is the author of more than one hundred scientific publications
on Islamic art. He curated the first general exhibition on Islamic Art in Italy in 1993. He also curated the exhibition al-Fann: Art from the Islamic Civilization.
The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and, together with the curator Salam Kaoukji, he organised
the loan of 250 objects from the collection to the MFAH (Houston, USA). Real or Imaginary? Miniatures as a source of knowledge for the history of Islamic Art
The arts of the book, especially miniatures, are an important branch of art in Muslim culture. Since the beginning of Islamic art studies, western scholars dedicated time and other resources to the art of miniatures. This resulted in their becoming the most popular and important aspects of art from the Islamic world. Are these images, lavishly painted on the pages of manuscripts, depicting the reality of the time or are they imaginary? Or both! The speaker will focus on some characteristics of the paintings and show details that can help viewers to better understand the aesthetics of the art.