In designing the Aga Khan Museum, which opened September 18 in Toronto, architect Fumihiko Maki was asked to reflect 13 centuries of pan-Islamic art, with an eye on building cross-cultural dialogue both within the Muslim community and, more importantly, with the world at large.
No pressure.
Inside his Brazilian-granite structure, light pours in from a central open-air courtyard, a common feature of Muslim design, and lands in a lattice pattern reminiscent of a traditional Arabic mashrabiya.
Allow yourself half an hour to wander the gardens and soak up the light play on the building, and another 30 minutes to peruse the permanent holdings. More than 1,000 works from the Aga Khan’s personal collection of Islamic art are on display, as are some of the earliest available copies of the illustrated Koran. Take a half hour to explore the second floor, which will host new exhibits throughout the year, many focusing on contemporary Muslim art.
Via http://www.departures.com/art-culture/aga-khan-museum-90-minutes
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