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About the Collection
Shangri La’s collection was assembled over a period of nearly 60 years by Doris Duke (1912–1993). The first purchases were made in 1935 when Duke was 22, and the last major piece was acquired in 1992, a year before her death. Numbering approximately 4,500 objects and cultural resources, the collection includes works of art from Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Central Asia, India, and parts of Southeast Asia. The collection is particularly strong in later centuries of production (c. 1600–1940) of ceramics, metalwork, wood, glass, and textiles.
About Islamic art
“Islamic art” describes a vast corpus of creative production that crosses borders of time, geography, medium and religion. A unifying factor of “Islamic art” is that the art was produced by or for cultures in which the ruling government, or majority of the populace, was or is Muslim. However, the label “Islamic art” incorporates a wide variety of secular artworks, or those produced by or for people of differing faiths. Art which is tied directly to the religious practice of Islam is an important part of this field, but it is not restricted to it.
Discover more through our extensive resources collection.
Google Arts & Culture
Keep exploring the Shangri La collection with Google Arts & Culture! Shangri La aims to provide access to all by making current and past exhibitions available online. Download the Google Arts & Culture app for an even greater immersive experience.
Building Bridges Program
Supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and based in New York, the Building Bridges Program is a grantmaking program that supports national efforts, working with U.S. Muslims, to increase mutual understanding and well-being among diverse populations for the benefit of building stronger, inclusive communities.