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Touring Schedule

February 9–June 1, 2025
McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College

Wonderment is said to be a state of perplexity that comes over a human being when he fails to understand the reason for a thing or how it affects him.

—Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (d. 1283)

Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World explores intersections of art and science in Islamic intellectual and visual culture from the ninth century to the present day. The exhibition employs the lens of “wonder” as defined by a celebrated thirteenth-century Islamic scholar Zakariyya al-Qazwini (d. 1283) in his cosmography, The Wonders of Creation and Rarities of Existence. Written in Arabic and Persian, Qazwini’s richly illustrated book catalogues the wondrous qualities of the natural world and its inhabitants. Qazwini’s encyclopedic text serves as the framework accompanying visitors through the orbits of the cosmos from the heavens to the earth.

Using wonder as a vehicle, Wonders of Creation illuminates the global impact of science and artistic production from the Islamic world and its diverse geographies and multifaceted visual cultures. Over 170 works, including illustrated manuscripts and paintings, maps, scientific instruments, magic bowls, luster dishes, architectural elements, and contemporary art, evoke wonder through a visual journey.

The exhibition begins with an examination of Qazwini’s text and its impact. Sections on the celestial realm, terrestrial sphere, and humankind examine topics such as astronomy, astrology, natural history, mineralogy, alchemy, medicine, geometry, and architecture through objects from Spain, North Africa, the Middle East to Central, South, and Southeast Asia as well modern diasporic regions.

The exhibition features works from twenty lenders. Chief among them is the al-Sabah Collection, Dar Al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait as well as the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia; Cambridge University Library; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the San Diego Museum of Art. Pairing ancient art from the Islamic world with contemporary works, the exhibition introduces visitors to art, science, and innovation spanning twelve centuries. Featured are recent and newly commissioned pieces by artists Monir Farmanfarmaian, Pouran Jinchi, Hayv Kahraman, Pantea Karimi, Issam Kourbaj, and Timo Nasseri. Wonders of Creation invites visitors into a world of wonder to explore the marvels of the heavens and the earth and admire the crafts and customs of humanity.

Organized by The San Diego Museum of Art in collaboration with the McMullen Museum of Art, this exhibition is made possible with support from Getty through its PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibition is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Featured at top right: Star map depicting the Northern & Southern celestial hemispheres (with constellations inscribed in Devanagari). India, Jaipur, ca. 1780. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper. Pritzker Collection, Chicago. Photo credit: Michael Tropea.