FOLLOWING DAMASCUS ... Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Artsof the Islamicate World

To Damascus … and beyond – the splendour and ornament of Islamicate art A book that reveals the seductive power of Islamicate art. In 1898–99, Karl Ernst Osthaus travelled from Algeria to Syria. By 1919, Museum Folkwang had assembled fascinating works of the Islamic world from the 4th to the 19th century: ceramics, textiles, glass and metalwork from Iran, Syria, Egypt and Spain – a treasure trove for design fans and admirers of Islamicate art. Before the Folkwang founder Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874–1921) collected the Impressionists, he had begun to assemble a significant collection of Islamicate art. This volume opens up the scope and influence of this early European collection of art from the Islamic world, reveals its diversity and critically interrogates the holdings from a contemporary perspective. Works of classical modernism, European design and contemporary pieces broaden the historical context. A wide-ranging overview of Museum Folkwang’s magnificent collection – one that enchants and inspires.