Unknown artist, Capital from Madinat al-Zahra, c. 965, marble, 10 3/4 x 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches. Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas. Museum purchase, Meadows Museum Acquisition Fund, MM.96.01. Photo: Michael Bodycomb
Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum is an exciting exploration of Islamic art from a new perspective. This exhibit, on display in Dallas through January 5, 2025, offers a glimpse into the impact of Islamic culture on Spanish identity and art while generating questions about how to embrace the past with the appropriate respect. Through a carefully curated display that is sure to intrigue and inspire, those who visit the exhibit will be able to step into an experience that will make a lasting impression while casting a spell of awe that beautiful artworks, such as the Islamic artistic treasures here, have the power to bestow.
Installation view of “The Grammar of Ornament” in “Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain”
The Legacy of Islamic Spain almost exclusively highlights art from the Meadows Museum’s permanent collection and SMU’s libraries, emphasizing Dallas’ commitment to developing and collecting cultural assets for its residents to enjoy.
Through photographs, paintings, books, and a stately column capital that acts as an unforgettable centerpiece, the exhibit takes the viewer on a journey through imagery that explores the impact of Islamic culture and art on Spain and its cultural identity, specifically in the 19th century.
Owen Jones [author], Francis Bedford [lithographer], “The Grammar of Ornament,” 1856, printed book with chromolithographic print. Bridwell Library Special Collections, SMU Libraries and Perkins School of Theology, 12027 Plate XLII. Photo: Elisa McCune
Installation view of “Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain”
As the viewer becomes immersed in the exhibit, the experience is heightened. You don’t have to imagine what it would be like to step into one of the photographs in this exhibit. Some of the images on display are a special type of image known as a stereograph. It is an early example of a three-dimensional visual tool that is spectacular to experience with the provided stereoscopes.
Unknown artist (Keystone View Company), “Court of the Lions, Alhambra Palace,” c. 1896, albumen stereograph on card. DeGolyer Library, SMU Dallas. Photo: John Milazzo
Cristina Sol Aldrich, the 2023–2024 Center for Spain in America Curatorial Fellow at the Meadows Museum, explained the inspiration behind The Legacy of Islamic Spain.
“It did start, actually, with the one Islamic object in the [Meadows’] collection which is the [column] capital from Madinat al-Zahra.”
Aldrich went on to explain that this column capital was the object around which the exhibit was built. Ultimately, the story of Islamic Spain needed to be told, and it was through an exploration of architecture and other artifacts from the 19th century in Spain that it would be told.
This exhibit is described as a “companion” exhibit on the museum’s website to an exhibition titled The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples. The term “legacy” in both exhibit titles is fitting, as both examine the lasting impact of the art that they display while also encouraging the viewer to come to terms with how their own perspectives in the present create yet another layer of meaning with which to contend.
An installation view of “Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain”
The art featured in the exhibit captures a time of reflection within Spain upon its Islamic past: what would be accepted into the cultural canon at that time and, perhaps more importantly, how. “It’s a complicated identity issue,” stated Aldrich. “It’s this constant tension.” While it can be said that appreciation of the Islamic past is evident in each work of art that is featured, it is also true that the appreciation can, at times, veer into the territory of exoticism and orientalism. While the intentions may be good, the outcome is often not. Such perspectives place Islamic tradition firmly into a domain of otherness that excludes, rather than includes, a vital part of the legacy of Spain’s rich history. “It is uncomfortable. I think that we’re still finding language to explain this,” continued Aldrich. “It’s wrapped up in these deep-seated issues of colonialism.”
Joaquín Domínguez Bécquer, “Ladies and Gentlemen Visiting a Patio of the
Alcázar of Seville,” 1857, oil on canvas, 20 1/8 x 24 inches. Meadows
Museum, SMU, Dallas. Algur H. Meadows Collection, MM.65.15. Photo: Michael
Bodycomb
As we view the exhibit, if we are aware of these issues, we can then move forward with the understanding that we, too, carry our own biases that can impact how we see. It reminds us of the mistakes of the past and how we can learn from them. It encourages us to endeavor to appreciate art from other cultures with respect, all while making a concerted effort to refrain from inserting ourselves and our preferences upon the art.
As we partake of the art in this exhibit, we are observers of a cultural and artistic legacy that we cannot fully understand or appreciate. However, we can grasp a sense of the beauty that is in front of us and be thankful that it is there for us to learn from and experience. We can identify and subsequently examine our own prejudices and preconceived notions in order to then challenge ourselves to be self-aware when approaching art.
Unearthing the Legacy of Islamic Spain is on view at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum through January 5, 2025.
1 comment
As someone who lived in Sevilla for a brief period some years ago, the Islamic history of the region, and the way it still remains visible through the architectural legacies is something rather magical and special. It was something I knew very little about until I spent time in the region so I’m thrilled to see this exhibition, here in Dallas.