Joint Exhibition by Qatar Orientalist Museum and National Museum in Gdansk

Under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani, “Bartholomäus Schachman (1559 – 1614): the Art of Travel” exhibition opened yesterday in the National Museum in Gdansk.

This exhibition constitutes a joint initiative between QMA’s Qatar Orientalist Museum and the National Museums of Gdansk aiming to familiarize visitors with the story of a journey to the Ottoman Empire done by Gdansk mayor Bartholomäus Schachman during the 16^th century. The exhibition will remain open to public in Poland till October 15, 2012, and will be on view at the Alriwaq Doha, exhibition space, in November 2012.

The exhibition’s opening ceremony was held in Gdansk on Monday July 16, 2012, in the presence of Dr Olga Nefedova, Collections Director at the Orientalist Museum, Ms Kholood Al Fahad, Head of Research of the Orientalist Museum and Ms Sara Al Manaa, Orientalist Museum researcher and one of the authors of the exhibition catalogue.

The ceremony was attended by various members of Poland’s art community and a number of Polish officials including Professor Małgorzata Omilanowska, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Mr Pawel Adamowicz, Mayor of the City of Gdansk, and Mr Wojciech Bonislawski, Director of the National Museum in Gdansk.

A copy of a letter from HE President of the Republic of Poland, Mr Bronisław Komorowski, was read during the ceremony. The president expressed his support for the event and praised the growing ties between Poland and the State of Qatar.

The exhibition introduces visitors to the story of a journey to the Ottoman Empire done by Gdansk Mayor Bartholomäus Schachman. The latter traveled to the most popular destinations among nobles, wealthy merchants, travelers and diplomats during the 16th century and depicted what he saw during his journey.

Bartholomäus Schachman commissioned an album, dated 1590, which contains a large number of full-page watercolor drawings that document what he saw during his travels through the Ottoman Empire in 1588-89, depicting the costumes and people of Istanbul, together with scenes of everyday life, festivals and ceremonies. The album is currently part of the Orientalist Museum collection.

The Orientalist Museum will host its own version of the “Bartholomäus Schachman (1559 – 1614): the Art of Travel” exhibition in the Alriwaq Doha exhibition space from November 15, 2012 to February 11, 2013. An extensive educational program, including a number of lectures, will complement this exhibition aiming to engage visitors and allowing them to enjoy exploring and recording memories.

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