Art of the Islamic Worlds Takes Centerstage at This $616,000 Houston Night — An Unforgettable Celebration 15 Years In the Making
The Bayou City at Its Cosmopolitan Best
BY Shelby Hodge // 01.31.23Gala chair Sabiha Rehmatulla, Aziza Rehmatulla Noshahi, Amina Malik, Zinat Ahmed, Sana Malik at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 'Art of the Islamic Worlds Gala.' (Photo by Wilson Parish)
With six weeks before opening of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Art of the Islamic Worlds Hossein Afshar Galleries, a sophisticated throng gathered in Cullinan Hall to celebrate the growth of the collection since its inception in 2007. As part of the biennial “Art of the Islamic Worlds” gala, guests were invited to tour the as yet unfinished space.
The gallery will equate to 6,000 square feet of exhibition space with collections that explore the breadth of Islamic lands including Morocco, Spain Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The black-tie evening saw Houston at its cosmopolitan best as the 350 guests represented a cross section of cultures including Persian, Middle Eastern and Indian influences.
Helming the gala were chairs Sima Ladjevardian and Franci Neely, who share roles as co-chair of the MFAH’s Art of the Islamic Worlds (AIW) subcommittee, and MFAH trustee Rania Daniel and Sabitha Rehmatulla, both members of the AIW subcommittee.
The spirit of Islamic cultures was grandly interpreted by Richard Flowers and The Events Company which wrapped the hall in larger-than-life murals that were based on the City Palace of Jaipur. The murals were part of the decor when Rehmatulla’s daughter Aziza Rehmatulla Noshahi wed Faraz Noshahi in this very part of the museum. Artifacts from the collections were on display in the reception hall at the museum’s north entrance. The Noshahis were among the gala contingent.
The sumptuous decor played inspiring backdrop to the evening that included a widely applauded Persian-influenced menu from City Kitchen and entertainment from the all male FJK Dance, choreographed by Fadi J. Khoury.
Elizabeth Anthony
The evening secured more than $616,000 which included three new pieces for the permanent collection. The MFHA Blue Forest was collectively voted on by gala guests and two additional pieces were contributed by the MFAH in honor of the group’s 15-year history.
PC Seen: Grand Underwriters Jaleh and Bruce Sallee, Nancy and Rich Kinder, Nidhika and Pershant Mehta, Aliyya and Herman Stude, Masoud Ladjevardian, Zeina Fares, Andrea and Bill White, Ann and Carl Stern, Lily and Hamid Kooros, Anne and Albert Chao, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, Terry Wayne Jones, Monsour Taghdisi and Henry Richardson, Dara Ladjevardian, Shoreh and Houshang Aghdashloo, Art of the Islamic Worlds curator Aimee Froom and Alexandre Levy-Thiebaut, and MFAH director Gary Tinterow.
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