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Book Launch

Reflections: contemporary art of the Middle East and North AfricaÌý

VenetiaÌýPorter with Natasha Morris and Charles Tripp,ÌýBritish Museum Press November 2020Ìý

Organised by Professor Sussan Babaie (The Courtauld).

Professor Sussan Babaie will discuss with the authors of this new book the pioneering formation and the nature of the British Museum’s extraordinary collection of modern and contemporary art of the Middle East and North Africa. We will explore ³Ù³ó±ðÌýsignificance and strengths of the collection and ³Ù³ó±ðÌýperspectives and methodologies deployed in writing this new book.

You can .To celebrate the launch of the book, use the codeÌýBMbook2020Ìýto receive 10% off. This coupon expires on 27th November 2020.Ìý

Reflections: contemporary art of the Middle East and North AfricaÌýbrings together in a new publication an important collection ofÌýworks on paper by artistsÌýborn in or connected toÌýcountriesÌýthat include Iran,ÌýTurkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Tunisia. The bookÌýaccompanies an exhibition to be held at the museum in February 2021. Venetia Porter’s introductionÌýengages withÌýthe nature of the collection, discusses the refracted picture it conveys of the region and investigates the terminologies used toÌýdefine thisÌýmaterial.ÌýOne of the contentions of the book is that a thoroughÌýgraspÌýof the recent history of the region is essential to understandingÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýcontext within which the artists are working. This framework is provided by Charles Tripp’sÌýessay.ÌýThe majority of the works in the book represent a decade of collecting by the museum. Over 170 artists are represented here with works which include prints, drawings photographs and artists’ books.ÌýGrouped into seven chapters,Ìýthe themes includeÌýfiguration, abstraction, faith, politics and displacement.Ìý

Venetia PorterÌýis a curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle East art at the British Museum,Ìýwhere she has been since 1989,ÌýandÌýHonorary Research Fellow at ³Ù³ó±ðÌýCourtauldÌýInstitute of Art. Among her exhibitions are Word into Art (2006) and Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam (2012) and she was lead curator for the AlbukharyÌýFoundation Gallery of the IslamicÌý°Â´Ç°ù±ô»å (2018). Recent publications include Thea Porter’s scrapbook Ìý(Unicorn PressÌý2019).

Natasha Morris isÌýMyojin-Nadar Project Curator – Contemporary Middle East Art at the British Museum. She has a doctorate in the history of Iranian art from ³Ù³ó±ðÌýCourtauldÌýInstitute of Art, where she was previously Iran Heritage Foundation Research Assistant.Ìý

Charles Tripp is Emeritus Professor of Politics with reference to the Middle East and North Africa at SOAS and a Fellow of the British Academy. His most recent book isÌýThe Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle EastÌý(Cambridge University PressÌý2013).Ìý