The Arabist

The Arabist

By Issandr El Amrani and friends.

On The New Yorker's approach to Islamic art

Peter Schjeldahl wanders blind through the Met's new Islamic wing | Sean Rocha

Sean Rocha makes a good point about this amateurish review of the Metropolitan Museum's new Islamic wing in the New Yorker:

Would Schjeldahl ever approach a contemporary art exhibit this way?

I mean, would the New Yorker send someone who knows nothing about, say, modern art to review a Picasso or Schiele collection? finishes his piece by saying Islamic art made him acutely aware of his own European heritage. Wouldn't insights on the new wing based on its own merits make for a more interesting review?