Unidentified artist, page from an illuminated Qurʾan manuscript, North Africa or West Asia, Abbasid period, 9th–10th century. Ink, color, and gold on vellum. Denman Waldo Ross Collection.
Unidentified artist, page from an illuminated Qurʾan manuscript, North Africa or West Asia, Abbasid period, 9th–10th century. Ink, color, and gold on vellum. Denman Waldo Ross Collection.
Arabic Calligraphy: 10th Century to Today
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
To appreciate Arabic-script calligraphy, an art form that has developed over 1,400 years, is to understand form and space. The MFA’s collection of Islamic calligraphic works, which spans mediums from paper to glass to metal, documents this history and shows us different scripts developed dynamically alongside one another. Unpack this history using a book arts rotation on view in the MFA’s Arts of Islamic Cultures Gallery for six months only. Probe questions of composition and proportionality and look at new acquisitions by living calligraphers to appreciate how Arabic-script calligraphy is still practiced today at the highest artistic level.
Nadirah Mansour, assistant curator of Islamic Art, Art of Asia
Wheelchair accessible
Ticket Information
Tickets must be purchased prior to the start of the first session; individual sessions are not available.
To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975 ($6 processing fee applies); to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk.
Bag Checks
All bags are subject to inspection by Museum staff. Backpacks, large bags, all liquids including hand sanitizer and sunscreen, and outside food or drink are not permitted. Exceptions are made for medical or religious needs. All bags are strongly discouraged, and any bags larger than 11” x 15” must be checked in the Coat Room upon entry. Read our full bag check policy.