Journey to three cosmopolitan
Islamic empires and explore the personal relationships that fueled artistic
creation.
Pearls on a String takes viewers to the Islamic
world in the 16th through 18th centuries to consider the question “Who’s behind
the art?” The answer comes in the
form of three stories, each centered on a protagonist from a different century
and empire: the writer in 16th-century Mughal India, the painter in
17th-century Safavid Iran and the patron in 18th-century Ottoman Turkey.
These narratives reveal the significance of both individualism and collaboration in creating extraordinary works of art. They also demonstrate how artists can breathe new life into old ideas to produce work that is innovative but steeped in tradition. As a backdrop for the three stories, Pearls on a String vividly evokes an early modern world rapidly changing with the global movement of people, ideas and technologies.
Through 64 impressive artworks — including manuscripts, paintings, jeweled objects, sculpture, textiles and metalwork — you’ll discover traces of the writer, painter and patron. And you’ll gain a new perspective on how personal relationships can awaken and sustain an artist's creativity, a process that endures in the present day.
These narratives reveal the significance of both individualism and collaboration in creating extraordinary works of art. They also demonstrate how artists can breathe new life into old ideas to produce work that is innovative but steeped in tradition. As a backdrop for the three stories, Pearls on a String vividly evokes an early modern world rapidly changing with the global movement of people, ideas and technologies.
Through 64 impressive artworks — including manuscripts, paintings, jeweled objects, sculpture, textiles and metalwork — you’ll discover traces of the writer, painter and patron. And you’ll gain a new perspective on how personal relationships can awaken and sustain an artist's creativity, a process that endures in the present day.
