Museum Buzz! Gearing up for Luxury, Artifacts and Islamic Gifts

Fall is not just lining up some exciting galas and charities, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has a whirlpool of really exciting exhibits in store. Here is a sneak peak of the gallery’s upcoming exhibits.

Paris has been in constant limelight this year. To take it to another level the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston brings Life & Luxury: The Art of Living in Eighteenth-Century Paris. The exhibition will be open September 18 – December 11, 2011.

Bringing together some 160 objects, roughly half of which will be on loan from 26 museums and private collections around the world, this exhibition re-imagines, through art and material culture, the lifestyle of elite 18th-century Parisians. Life & Luxury: The Art of Living in Eighteenth-Century Paris follows the conventional activities in the cycle of a Parisian day: dressing, writing, collecting, eating, and evening entertainment. The exhibit will be offering a glimpse into Parisian life during that time. This exhibition debuts at and is organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Houston presentation is overseen by Edgar Peters Bowron, the Audrey Jones Beck Curator of European Art at the MFAH.

Another much anticipated upcoming exhibit: Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs from October 16, 2011 – April 15, 2012.

This acclaimed traveling exhibition features more than 100 artifacts, most never shown in the U.S. prior to this tour. Spanning some 2,000 years of Egypt’s history, the exhibition presents spectacular treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamun, along with extraordinary objects from the reigns of pharaohs who preceded him. The exhibition is organized under the direction of Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass, by the National Geographic Society, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions. In Houston, the show is organized by Frances Marzio, MFAH Curator of The Glassell Collections.

Also in October, Gifts of the Sultan: The Art of Giving at the Islamic Courts October 23, 2011 – January 16, 2012.

This pan-Islamic exhibition, organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with support from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, spans the eighth through nineteenth centuries and includes nearly 200 works of art representing a rich variety of media from three continents. The show will introduce an American audience to Islamic art and culture with objects of undisputed quality and appeal viewed through the universal lens of gift giving. The exhibition emphasizes a shared humanity rather than singular histories. The exhibition will also have a contemporary component, with new work by three artists with roots in the Islamic world who have been commissioned to interpret the theme of the exhibition.

Till then do not miss the summer exhibits like Helmut Newton: White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes: July 3 – September 25, 2011.