In September 2012, the Louvre Museum in Paris opened a new wing dedicated to the arts of Islam. The new extension, in the neo-classical, 19th century Visconti courtyard of the Louvre, has an undulating glass and metal roof, under which is displayed the largest and most significant collection of Islamic art in Europe. In this article, Daniel Waugh of the University of Washington, Seattle, provides some first impressions, as well as reviews the catalogue published in conjunction with the opening of the new galleries.

Read: Arts of the Islamic World in the Louvre