Oleg Grabar
Encyclopedia
Oleg Grabar was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art
and architecture.
Grabar attended the University of Paris
, where he studied ancient, medieval, and modern history, before moving to the US in 1948. He got degrees from both Harvard and the University of Paris in 1950. In 1955, he obtained a PhD
from Princeton University
.
He served on the faculty of the University of Michigan
in 1954-69, before moving to Harvard University
as a full professor. In 1980, Grabar became Harvard's first Aga Khan
Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture. He was a founding editor of the journal Muqarnas
in 1983. He became emeritus from Harvard in 1990, and then joined the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study
, becoming emeritus there in 1998.
According to the President of the Historians of Islamic Art Association, "Grabar transformed the fields of Islamic art, architecture and archaeology through his myriad scholarly works, general textbooks, and through training and inspiring many generations of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan and at Harvard."
Grabar's archeological and scholarly research covered a wide range of Islamic studies
across Africa, the Middle East, and Muslim Asia.
Early in his career, Grabar spent two years (1953-1953 and 1960–1961) at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem. From 1964 to 1972, he directed excavations on a Medieval Islamic town at Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi, Syria
, work later described in a two-volume book he coauthored, City in the Desert, Qasr al-Hayr East.
Other major books in English include The Shape of the Holy (Princeton, 1996), The Mediation of Ornament (Princeton, 1992), The Great Mosque of Isfahan (NYU, 1990), and 'The Formation of Islamic Art (Yale, 1973).
Oleg Grabar also did scholarly work on Persian painting
. With Sheila Blair, he coauthored an illustrated study of a major Shahnameh
manuscript, Epic Images and Contemporary History: The Illustrations of the Great Mongol Shahnama (Chicago, 1980). He was also a noted scholar of the Dome of the Rock
, after the appearance of his article "The Umayyad Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem."
His work Penser l'art islamique : une esthétique de l'ornement denotes also reflections on the nature of Islamic art.
.
Oleg Grabar and his wife Terry, a retired English professor, were married for 59 years. They had two children, Nicolas and Anne Louise, and three grandchildren.
in 2001 and, in 2010, the Chairman's Award at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
ceremony in Doha
, where he made what was perhaps his last public speech.
/WorldCat
encompasses roughly 200+ works in 500+ publications in 13 languages and 15,000+ library holdings.
Islamic art
Islamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
and architecture.
Academic career
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, where he studied ancient, medieval, and modern history, before moving to the US in 1948. He got degrees from both Harvard and the University of Paris in 1950. In 1955, he obtained a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
He served on the faculty of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1954-69, before moving to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as a full professor. In 1980, Grabar became Harvard's first Aga Khan
Aga Khan
Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers of the Shī‘a faith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendants of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the larger Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa...
Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture. He was a founding editor of the journal Muqarnas
Muqarnas (journal)
Muqarnas is a yearbook of articles of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Begun in 1983, the annual journal focuses on Islamic architecture and visual arts, and has become established as "perhaps the leading journal" in...
in 1983. He became emeritus from Harvard in 1990, and then joined the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
, becoming emeritus there in 1998.
According to the President of the Historians of Islamic Art Association, "Grabar transformed the fields of Islamic art, architecture and archaeology through his myriad scholarly works, general textbooks, and through training and inspiring many generations of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan and at Harvard."
Research
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
across Africa, the Middle East, and Muslim Asia.
Early in his career, Grabar spent two years (1953-1953 and 1960–1961) at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem. From 1964 to 1972, he directed excavations on a Medieval Islamic town at Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, work later described in a two-volume book he coauthored, City in the Desert, Qasr al-Hayr East.
Other major books in English include The Shape of the Holy (Princeton, 1996), The Mediation of Ornament (Princeton, 1992), The Great Mosque of Isfahan (NYU, 1990), and 'The Formation of Islamic Art (Yale, 1973).
Oleg Grabar also did scholarly work on Persian painting
Persian painting
Persian painting has several branches, most famously the classical art of the Persian miniature, and including the modern popular form of "Qahveh Khanehei" Painting . Many modern Iranian artists practice Modern art in an international style.-External links:***...
. With Sheila Blair, he coauthored an illustrated study of a major Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
manuscript, Epic Images and Contemporary History: The Illustrations of the Great Mongol Shahnama (Chicago, 1980). He was also a noted scholar of the Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...
, after the appearance of his article "The Umayyad Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem."
His work Penser l'art islamique : une esthétique de l'ornement denotes also reflections on the nature of Islamic art.
Personal life
Grabar was the son of the renowned Byzantinist André GrabarAndré Grabar
André Grabar was an art historian of Medieval and Byzantine art. Born and raised in Ukraine and educated in the Russian Empire, he spent much of his career in France and the US but wrote all his papers in French...
.
Oleg Grabar and his wife Terry, a retired English professor, were married for 59 years. They had two children, Nicolas and Anne Louise, and three grandchildren.
Honors
Grabar received many honors during his lifetime, including the Charles Lang Freer MedalCharles Lang Freer medal
The Charles Lang Feer medal was established in 1956 by the Smithsonian Institution in honor of Charles Lang Freer, the founder of the Freer collection...
in 2001 and, in 2010, the Chairman's Award at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Islamic societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community...
ceremony in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, where he made what was perhaps his last public speech.
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Oleg Grabar, OCLCOCLC
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...
/WorldCat
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
encompasses roughly 200+ works in 500+ publications in 13 languages and 15,000+ library holdings.
- City in the Desert with Renata Holod, James Knustad, and William Trousdale, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
, (1978) - Epic Images and Contemporary History: The Illustrations of the Great Mongol Shahnama (1982)
- The Mediation of Ornament (1992)
- The Shape of the Holy: Early Islamic Jerusalem
- Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Post-Classical World, with Glen BowersockGlen BowersockGlen Warren Bowersock is a contemporary American scholar of the ancient world and the history of ancient Greece, Rome and the Near East.-Biography:...
and Peter BrownPeter Brown (historian)Peter Robert Lamont Brown is Rollins Professor of History at Princeton University. His principal contributions to the discipline have been in the field of late antiquity and, in particular, the religious culture of the later Roman Empire and early medieval Europe.-Life:Peter Brown was born in...
, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
, (1999) - The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250, with Richard EttinghausenRichard EttinghausenRichard Ettinghausen was a historian of Islamic art and chief curator of the Freer Gallery.-Education:Ettinghausen received his Ph.D...
and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, Yale History of Art, 2001 - Interpreting Late Antiquity Essays on the Postclassical World edited with G. W. Bowersock, Peter Brown, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
, (2001) - Mostly Miniatures (2002)
- The Dome of the Rock, Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
, (2006) - "The Haram Al-Sharif: An Essay in Interpretation," BRIIFS vol. 2 no 2 (Autumn 2000).
- Constructing the Study of Islamic Art, 83 collected articles (4 vols, 2005–06)
See also
- Excavations at the Temple MountExcavations at the Temple MountSeveral excavations at the Temple Mount have taken place. The first archaeological excavations at the site was by the British Royal Engineers in the 1870s....
- Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem's Sacred EsplanadeWhere Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem's Sacred EsplanadeWhere Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem's Sacred Esplanade is a 2010 book about the Temple Mount edited by Oleg Grabar and Benjamin Z. Kedar and published by the University of Texas Press....
External links
- Oleg Grabar's page at the Institute for Advanced Study
- Biography of his father André Grabar in French Wikipedia