Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art

September 20, 2008 – January 4, 2009

This exhibition presents a  broad, international survey of Western artists’  responses  to the cultures and landscapes of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century. Known at that time as “the Orient,” this area extended from Turkey through the Middle East and North Africa. The exhibition explores the art movement that arose from the Western fascination with the East, which peaked in the nineteenth century following Napoleon’s military campaign in Egypt (1798–1801).

Oasis offers important historical and cultural perspectives on the challenging questions of the “Orient” and its representation in art. Organized by the Dahesh Museum in New York, the exhibition includes approximately sixty paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, and drawings. The works utilize rich detail and visual pleasure in their depictions of various aspects of this complex encounter between cultures.

Oasis complements another regional exhibition of work from the Dahesh Museum,Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt, which will be on view at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle from August 30, 2008 through January 4, 2009.

This exhibition was organized by the Dahesh Museum of Art, New York.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Key Foundation — a foundation funded by KeyBank and The News Tribune.