by Jon Lackman | 12 April 2007 | Books, Museums
Is it possible to publish 300+ pages on a theme such as “Venice and the Islamic World: 828-1797″ without once footnoting Edward Said’s 1978 book Orientalism? Is it even possible for scholars, post-Said, to speak of “the Islamic world: 828-1797″? (Imagine a show titled “Baghdad and the Christian World.”) Apparently it is. This exhibition catalogue was edited by Stefano Carboni; in his lead essay, he makes oblique reference to Said’s book and its adherents, writing that “the present exhibition and catalogue intend to emphasize [Venice's] different and unique approach to, and understanding of, a world that has too often been described as ‘the other,’” later arguing that “it sounds incorrect or at least misleading to read about an ‘Orientalist’ curiosity towards the Ottomans on the part of the Venetians, at least in the 15th and 16th centuries, or to view the presence of well-observed Mamluk and Ottoman characters in the religious paintings and facade decorations for the Venetian scuole and scuolete as the inescapable representation of the fear-provoking Muslim enemy after the fall of Constantinople.” Are we witnessing a wave of anti-Orientalism sentiment? Recall last year’s publication of Robert Irwin’s 2006 book Dangerous Knowledge, Orientalism and Its Discontents (reviews available by Michael Dirda and Noel Malcolm).
These choppy waters are never easy to navigate well, let alone with an informal, improvised squib such as this one. We don’t have specialized expertise in this area. Also, we’d hate to distract too much from the considerable scholarship offered up by this well-illustrated and amply documented catalogue, which contains much new information in its 19 essays by 17 authors. (The sometimes neglected decorative arts thankfully get ample play, and the catalogue’s consideration of materials and technique seems particularly rich.)
That said, we can’t help but comment, in the hopes of sparking an informed discussion. We’ll note also that the exhibition is sponsored by the French oil concern Total, which, according to the Guardian, recently had its CEO “held for questioning by [France's] financial police who are investigating alleged corruption in Iran … The inquiry, which began in December, also covers the group’s role and alleged use of bribes in the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal,” and that, according to the Financial Times, Total in 2005 “agreed to pay €5.2m ($6.1m) to settle charges in a Paris court that it used forced labour to build a natural gas pipeline in Burma.”
The catalogue includes a foreword by Thierry Desmarest, who was Total’s CEO until very recently, in which he writes that “Every culture draws nourishment from its own roots, yet truly blossoms only on contact with other cultures. [This exhibition] illustrates this intercultural blossoming, based on an exchange of learning, savoir-faire, and cultural values through the channels of art, trade and migration. Today, Total seeks to preserve and promote such cultural diversity through its patronage program … By supporting the exhibition Venice and the Islamic World, Total is once again demonstrating its interest and respect for the Arab world’s culture and heritage.”
If Total has indeed committed misdeeds abroad, will this exhibition and its catalogue serve to help whitewash a deservedly bad reputation? Would this constitute a fresh alliance of orientialism and (neo-)colonialism? When, by the way, did exhibition sponsors start writing their now-ubiquitous forewords? And do catalogue editors vet them? These seem like some of the questions worth asking.
