Islamic Art with Simon Rettig

Program :

Villa Albertine is pleased to welcome reknown Associate Curator for the Arts of the Islamic World at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, Simon Rettig. For this unique conference, Simon Rettig will take the stage, offering a fascinating conference on "Collecting and Displaying Islamic Art in the Nation’s Capital, after one hundred years".

Founded in 1923, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, located on the National Mall in the heart of Washington, D.C. is renowned for its holdings of Chinese and Japanese art as well as of American art from the Gilded Age, with iconic Whistler’s Peacock Room. Lesser known, however, are its collections of the arts of the Islamic world. Neither encyclopedic nor comprehensive, it includes, nevertheless, extraordinary objects originating from a vast geographic area extending from Spain to India and dating from the eighth to the nineteenth century. In this talk, Simon Rettig will share the multifaceted story of some of these masterpieces and present the formation of the museum’s collections of Islamic art.

About Simon Rettig

Dr. Simon Rettig is the Associate Curator for the Arts of the Islamic World at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC. He received his BA from the École du Louvre in Paris and his MA and Doctorate from Aix-Marseille University, France. Rettig has curated many exhibitions, including Nasta‘liq: The Genius of Persian Calligraphy (2014), The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art (2016), The Prince and the Shah: Royal Portraits from Qajar Iran (2018), and An Epic of Kings: The Great Mongol Shahnama (2024). His forthcoming exhibition From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art, opening in September 2026, is co-curated with Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Director of the Islamic Art Department at the musée du Louvre. A specialist of the Islamic arts of the book, with a special focus on Iran and Türkiye, Rettig has lectured and published extensively. His latest work is the virtual project entitled Beyond Rumi: Sufi Art and Practice.

Security Rules: Each person attending the event must have a ticket registered in their name and a government-issued ID that matches the name on the reservation to enter the Embassy. No one will be admitted without a reservation and official ID. Due to strict security measures, please arrive on time, as doors will be closed at 7:30 pm sharp. Please allow for extra time for security screenings.

Food and drinks are not allowed within the Embassy. Please note, that food and beverages (and bottles) will be thrown away before accessing the Embassy.

Parking: There is no on-site parking. Metered parking is available on Reservoir Road at $2.30/hour (max 4h until 10pm). Garage parking is available at Georgetown MedStar Health (Entrance #2, 2800 Reservoir Road NW), approx. $25 for up to 3 hours

Photos: By registering for this event, you consent to being photographed and/or recorded, and authorize the organizers to use your image and likeness for promotional and archival purposes.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Villa Albertine Washington DC