Green lamps dangle from a ceiling framed by ornate carvings. The tirelessly detailed patterns, eclectic and timeless, continue along the walls, arched windows and crevices. The colors, some rustic and some pastel, rise in contrast to the floor with its shiny off-whiteness and large geometric designs. Oil lamps, water pipes and perfume bottles tastefully adorn tables and shelves. Golden Arabic calligraphy panels the walls above, and the photograph is taken in such a way that you feel as if, with a single step, you could enter into the “Syrian Room.” Tim Street-Porter’s large and backlit photograph welcomes viewers into the Nasher’s newest exhibition opening Thursday, August 29th 2013: Doris Duke’s Shangri La: Architecture, Landscape, and Islamic Art.

Read More: New Doris Duke Exhibition Brings Islamic Art to Nasher Museum

See also: An Earthly Retreat, A Shrine to Art

Shangri La is the earthly paradise James Hilton described in his 1933 novel “Lost Horizon.” It was published, coincidentally, a few years before tobacco heiress Doris Duke and husband James Cromwell began their 1935 honeymoon and world tour that led to the building of a retreat in Hawaii that took the name Shangri La. This five-acre Honolulu estate, which overlooks the Pacific, was built as more than just an earthly retreat. During their honeymoon, the couple’s travels took them to Egypt, India, Indonesia and other countries. Duke began collecting Islamic art during that tour and continued until her death in 1993. The honeymoon ended in Honolulu, where the couple decided to build their estate, incorporating Islamic art and style in the architecture.

Read More: An Earthly Retreat, A Shrine to Art

How did a groundbreaking group show on contemporary Islam happen in rural New England? It all started with a simple conversation. Megan Whilden, Director of Cultural Development for the City of Pittsfield, was interviewing me for a summer position in her Office through the Berkshire Hills Internship Program. The Boston Marathon bombing was a recent memory, and the need for a more expansive, nuanced understanding of modern Islam culture(s) was at an all time high.

Read More: How a Groundbreaking Art Show about Contemporary Islam came to Rural New England

When you encounter the word “Islamic” in this hemisphere, art is not what springs to mind in an era inflamed by religious terrorism. But London’s Victoria and Albert Museum recognizes the potent interaction between traditional Islamic arts and contemporary trends with the Jameel Prize under the patronage of avant-garde architect Zaha Hadid. More than 200 of the world’s leading curators, designers and artists were invited to nominate artists for the 2011 competition and the 10 finalists are featured in “The Jameel Prize: Art Inspired by the Islamic Tradition” at the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Read More: Jameel Prize Brings Inspired Islamic-influenced Art to San Antonio Museum of Art

Asia Society Museum presents Iran Modern, the first major international loan exhibition of Iranian modern art created from the 1950s to 1970s. It will be on view in New York from September 6, 2013 to January 5, 2014. Showcasing more than 100 works by 26 artists, the exhibition illuminates Iran’s little known pre-Islamic Revolution era when Tehran was a cosmopolitan art center, artists were engaged with the world through their participation in the Venice Biennale and other international art festivals, and their work was collected by institutions inside and outside of Iran.

Read More: Asia Society Museum Announces First Major Exhibition of Iranian Modern Art

See also: Asia Society to Present Modern Iranian Art

A new exhibition of modern Iranian art will showcase the work of 26 artists from the 1950s to the 1970s, when Iranian artists were connected to the rest of the world and influenced by global art movements, the Asia Society Museum in New York plans to announce on Monday [29 July, 2013].

Read More: Asia Society to Present Modern Iranian Art