OREANDA-NEWS. March 01, 2013. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is enhancing its collection of Islamic art, with Aramco Services Company (ASC) underwriting the installation of its Arts of the Islamic World permanent gallery.

The unveiling of the installation occurred at the “Beyond Boundaries — Arts of the Islamic World” fundraising gala, which was attended by ASC president Ahmed Al-Zayyat on Jan. 25 at the museum.

Also celebrated that day were newly arrived works of Islamic art from the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI), a cultural organization based on the Kuwaiti private art collection of Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, founder of The al-Sabah Collection, and his wife, DAI director general and co-founder Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah.

The collection preserves and presents all aspects of Islamic art and includes more than 30,000 pieces extending from Spain to China from the first to 13th centuries AH (seventh to 19th centuries AD). The MFAH received about 60 of those pieces as part of its temporary collection.

Both collections are currently open to the public. ASC also will sponsor the acclaimed “Roads of Arabia” exhibit, which is currently in Washington, D.C., and is expected to arrive at the MFAH later this year.

“Islamic art is very hard to find, and many museums are competing to acquire it,” said Alma Kombargi, supervisor of Branding and Community and Social Responsibility in the ASC Public Affairs Department. “ASC recognizes the importance of helping to bring these pieces to Houston. This art originated in many countries over multiple centuries, and its presence here will increase awareness of Islamic culture and history.”

At the gala, the museum raised funds to support the acquisition of additional pieces and to provide resources for educational programming.