Islamic art exhibition postponed in Pittsburgh amid Israel-Hamas war

The Frick Pittsburgh has postponed an exhibition showcasing ten centuries of Islamic art that was set to open Saturday, citing the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas and fears that the exhibition could become “a source of unintentional insensitivity or offense.”

The decision to postpone the exhibition, which would have included scientific instruments, fine glassware, paintings and metalwork from across the Middle East, was denounced by some Muslim and Jewish groups, who said the museum’s action seemed to suggest or imply a false link between masterpieces of Islamic art and terrorism.

The postponement was previously reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, which noted that the museum initially only said on its website that the delay was due to “a scheduling conflict.” The director of the museum, Elizabeth Barkertold the Tribune-Review that “we realized we were about to open an exhibit that a forgiving person would call insensitive but would be traumatic for many people, especially in our community.”

Christine Mohamed, executive director of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement that the “decision to postpone the exhibition ‘Treasured Ornament: 10 Centuries of Islamic Art’ on the pretext of possible harm to the Jewish community perpetuates the harmful stereotype that Muslims or Islamic art are synonymous with terrorism or anti-Semitism.”

And Adam Hertzman, an official with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, told the radio station WESA that “few people in the Jewish community would have been concerned about an exhibition of Islamic art, because we understand that this has nothing to do with Hamas, a terrorist organization.”

The Tribune-Review reported that Ms. Barker wrote an email to museum staff on Oct. 11 saying she wanted to discuss the exhibit “given the war in Israel and the inflammatory anti-Islamic rhetoric associated with it current political climate.” In a statement on Thursday, Ms Barker said the decision to postpone was “driven by concerns that it trivialises and risks objectifying Islamic culture as merely decorative, and was prepared without Frick’s characteristic engagement with broad community partners, in this case of the Muslim community in Pittsburgh. .”

The decision to postpone came as Pittsburgh prepared to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, which killed 11 worshipers and injured six others in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.

The museum later updated its website with a more detailed explanation of the delay, noting that it had been planned years in advance. “At the time of planning,” the report said, “it would have been impossible to predict that war would break out in the Middle East during the show, leading to widespread heartbreak and increasing social tensions.”

The museum said the exhibition, in its existing form, “lacked sufficient historical and cultural context” and that it “also lacked participation from the regional Islamic community and others.”

“Presenting the show as it was originally conceived elsewhere years ago risked trivializing Islamic culture at an extraordinarily complex time and turning an intended educational opportunity into a divisive political touchstone, a source of unintentional insensitivity or insult , and a distraction from our important service to the community. entire community,” the report said.

It was not the first time that a museum held an exhibition in recent years at a time of rising tensions.

In 2020, amid the racial justice protests that followed the killing of George Floyd, four major museums: the National Gallery of Art in Washington; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – postponed an exhibition by artist Philip Guston because his works, including charged images of hooded Ku Klux Klan figures, needed more context. The postponement was criticized by many artists who accused the museums of avoiding the controversy.

The postponed exhibition was organized by the nonprofit International Arts and Artists, which created the exhibition on behalf of the Huntington Museum of Art in West Virginia.

“There is nothing wrong with the exhibition; I don’t think the timing was right for them,” Gregory Houston, president and CEO of the nonprofit International Arts and Artists, said of the Pittsburgh museum. “We will work with them to reimagine it in the context they see fit. We look forward to making another appointment next year.”

Geoffrey K. Fleming, the executive director of the Huntington, said that “each museum has to make its own decisions about what’s going on with their shows and world affairs,” but that he “would like to have it at the Frick at some point to see. Pittsburgh so people can enjoy the exhibit.”

Walter B. Denny, a retired professor of Islamic art who helped prepare a publication about the exhibition, said the collection should help people understand the diversity of Islamic art, and said it would include works by Muslims, Jews and Christians sat.

“There’s a great irony here,” Denny said on the phone. “The collection is so far removed from anything that is remotely political or sympathetic to fanaticism.”