A Banquet Scene with Hormuz, Iran, detail

The Art of Dining

Food Culture in the Islamic World

September 22, 2024 – January 5, 2025

Free with general admission

*General museum admission is FREE for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World brings together more than 200 works from the Middle East, Egypt, Central and South Asia, and beyond to explore connections between art and cuisine from ancient times to the present day. Paintings of elaborate feasts, sumptuous vessels for food and drink, and historical cookbooks show how culinary cultures have thrived in the Islamic world for centuries. Highlighting the relationship of these works to preparing, serving, and enjoying food, the exhibition engages multiple senses and invites us to appreciate the pleasures of sharing a meal.

Mir Sayyid ‘Ali (Persian, 1510–1572) and other artists, Afghanistan (Kabul) and India. The Princes of the House of Timur (Humayun’s Garden Party), 1550–55, with later additions early–mid-1600s. Opaque watercolor on cotton. The British Museum, London, bought from Ganeshi Lall of Agra, with funds provided by the Art Fund and W. Graham Robertson, 1913,0208,0.1. © The Trustees of the British Museum

 

The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World is organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Additional support is provided by the Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures.

The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Logo for DIA Auxiliary Friends of Asian Arts and Culture

 

Logo for the National Endowment for the Humanities