Exile
ArtistMade by
Reem Bassous
Date2018
PeriodContemporary
MediumAcrylic and latex on wood
DimensionsOverall: 24 × 7 (731.7 × 213.4cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineDoris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (Programmatic Acquisition)
Object number37.11
DescriptionThis thoughtful, measured study of Shangri La presents the museum as a place of beauty and as a site of exile. Its bold, colorful composition featuring recognizable artworks from the collection – the gem-inset enameled gold peacock boat from the Mughal Suite being the most central-references the artistry that characterizes Shangri La. But note the jarring shapes of architectural rubble and striated fragments of disintegrating ornamentation, referencing the artist’s experience of loss during the civil war in her native Beirut and the construction at-and of-Shangri La. These elements are framed by oversized vegetation drawn from the pietra dura elements of the Mughal Suite exaggerated for artistic effect but intentionally obscures the presentation of Shangri La as being easily accessible or understood – both publicly and emotionally.On View
On viewCollections
1750-1800, with some panels added in 1953-54
18th - 19th century
c. 1800-1850
