Sponsored By Syria Shell Petroleum , World Ceramics will open as the finale to the Damascus Arab Capital of Culture 2008 activities

 • To mark the closing celebrations for Damascus Arab Capital of Culture 2008 (DACC), a major international touring exhibition, World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the V&A, will open at the historical Khan As‘ad Basha in Damascus on 24 November 2008. It will run until 8 January 2009 and will be free to all visitors.

• The exhibition is hosted by the DACC and sponsored by Shell (Syria), with major support from the General Directorate of Antiquities & Museums and from the British Council in Syria.

• World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the V&A is the first international exhibition to be held in Syria and in the region by the V&A. It places beautiful objects in an outstanding setting and tells a compelling story of international contacts over five millennia.

London, UK & Damascus, Syria — The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, is the world’s leading museum of art and design, and it boasts the largest ceramics collection in existence. Its holdings range from ancient Egyptian artefacts and early examples of Chinese porcelain to contemporary studio pottery and industrially designed ceramics. This touring exhibition is a rare opportunity to see 116 of the greatest treasures from the V&A’s world renowned collection while the galleries in London are being refurbished to reopen in September 2009. The exhibition will showcase many historic and rare examples that have not been seen outside the V&A since their acquisition.

The exhibition
will be sponsored by Shell (Syria) and will be housed at the beautiful Khan As‘ad Basha, a historic commercial building in the heart of Old Damascus and a striking example of 18th-century Syrian architecture. The Khan, or caravanserai, was built by As‘ad Basha al-‘Azm, a powerful governor of Damascus, to house merchants involved in long-distance trade, providing a very appropriate setting for an exhibition that reflects the transmission of objects and ideas along trade routes.

Syria has been producing ceramics for more than 8000 years, making it one of the world’s earliest centres of pottery production. At times, it has exported its finest wares as far as Italy and Spain. At other times, it has imported porcelain from as far away as China and Japan. The story of World Ceramics is of great relevance to the history of Syria, and of Damascus.

Mark Jones, Director of the V&A, said:
“Damascus has an immensely long history, making it one of the most fascinating of the world’s great cities. We are delighted to be taking the World Ceramics exhibition to the city while it holds the title of Arab Capital of Culture and hope to attract a broad range of visitors to see highlights from the V&A’s ceramics collection. The exhibition shows how much different parts of the world learned from each other in earlier times. We welcome the very generous sponsorship from Shell (Syria), without which the exhibition wouldn’t have happened”.
The Exhibition

World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the V&A explores the history of international ceramics from 3000 BC to the present day. Bringing together works from different parts of the world in exciting juxtapositions, the exhibition highlights the links between all the world’s great ceramic traditions. It also shows how international trade and cultural exchange spread manufacturing technologies, styles and usage – often dramatically changing the course of ceramic history.

Chronologically arranged in nine thematic sections, the exhibition examines specific areas or periods, such as the early ceramics of China and its immediate neighbours. It looks at the cross-currents between Asia, the Middle East and Europe and at the luxury wares made for European Medieval and Renaissance courts. The exhibition concludes with a survey of 20th-century ceramics, ranging from Russian Revolutionary porcelains to Post-Modern ceramic sculpture. A highlight of this section is Picasso’s 1954 vase painted with the ‘Artist at his Easel’.

Many of the exhibits on display are outstanding and unique examples of the potter’s art. Notable among these is a life-size goat from Augustus the Strong’s extraordinary porcelain menagerie at Dresden; examples of the supremely rare ‘Medici’ porcelain and ‘Saint-Porchaire’ ware; and Sèvres porcelain busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette made shortly before their execution.

The exhibition also includes a major representation of classic, imperial wares from Song and Ming dynasty China – for many the crowning achievement of the potter’s art – and a remarkable group of 19th-century exhibition pieces from Europe and Asia.

The Middle East, and Syria in particular, played a leading role in this story. To celebrate this fact, 12 outstanding Syrian ceramics from the collection of the National Museum of Damascus will join the exhibition at the Khan As‘ad Basha. These represent the achievement of Syrian potters in the 12th to 14th centuries, when they mastered a range of techniques, including coloured glazes, painting under the glaze, and lustre decoration – these being three of the great contributions of Islamic potters to the history of ceramics.

DACC
One of the mandates of Damascus Arab Capital of Culture 2008 is to celebrate the country’s historical, economic and cultural heritage. This city, thousands of years old, is situated at the meeting point of three continents, at the centre of the great civilizations of the Ancient world and at the crossroads of trade routes that flourished over many millennia (the Silk Road and the Spice Road).

Khan As‘ad Basha
Khan As‘ad Basha is one of the most beautiful historical buildings of the city. Constructed by As’ad Pasha al-‘Azm in 1752, it is the largest of the city’s many former caravanserais, which provided lodgings and places of work for long-distance merchants and storage for their goods. The rooms are arranged in several stories around a central courtyard, which is covered by nine domes. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the building is its walls, which were built of striped or ablaq masonry, consisting of alternate courses of black basalt and white limestone.

Sponsors
Shell (Syria) is the exhibition’s sole sponsor. Shell operates in Syria through the Al Furat Petroleum Company aiming to help maximize the economic recovery of hydrocarbons, to develop and train national staff and support the Syrian economy. Shell actively promotes and supports broad cultural awareness, learning and social development activities through its social investment initiatives, which remains a strategic focus and a business enabler for the Company.

Ghaleb Sleiman, Deputy General Manager for Shell Syria, adds:
“Shell is delighted to be able to support the World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the V&A exhibition in Damascus as part of the DACC initiative. Having been operational in Syria for more than 50 years Shell is very proud to be associated with this celebration of the historical wealth of Syrian culture. We are keen to support initiatives that build relationships with other cultures and believe this partnership provides a unique opportunity for future cooperation between the V&A and local cultural entities.”

Support
Further support for the World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the V&A exhibition in Damascus has been generously provided by the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums and by the British Council in Syria.

Tour Information
World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the V&A offers a rare opportunity to see internationally important original ceramics grouped together, ahead of their presentation in the V&A’s refurbished ceramics galleries in London, which will reopen in September 2009. This is an exceptional occasion not to be missed.

Prior to arriving in Damascus the exhibition will tour to The Korea Foundation Cultural Center, Seoul (14 March – 23 June 2008); and Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf (8 August – 26 October 2008). After being shown at the Khan As‘aad Pasha al-‘Azem, Damascus, Syria (26 November 2008 – 8 January 2009), it will transfer to Abu Dhabi in January 2009. The tour will end at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.

—ENDS—

Notes to Editors:

Descriptions on individual objects are available.

A selection of high-resolution images of both the objects and the Khan As‘aad Pasha al-‘Azem are available for press use from Jade Mamarbachi on +44 7880 625551 or +963 947646788.

For additional Press information, please contact:

V&A Press Office
London +44 (0)20 7942 2502
Damascus +963 (0)947 646 788

DACC Press Office
Damascus +963 (0)11 331 7226

Shell (Syria) Press Office
Dubai [+971 (0)4 405 4440]
Damascus [+963 (0)11 618 9422]

British Council
Damascus + 963 (0)11 331 0631 (ext. 11)