Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir

Senior Advisor for Islamic Art, Dallas Museum of Art
Distinguished Scholar of Islamic Art in Residence, The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History

Areas of Specialization

Islamic Art History from the 7th to the 19th century; Fatimid Art (969 - 1171 AD);  exhibition directing and curating

Education

BA, Ecole Normale Supérieure (Tunis)
MA, University of London, SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), Islamic Art and Archaeology
PhD, University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (Thesis: The Palace of Sitt-al Mulk and Fatimid Imagery)

Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir is recognized internationally as a leading authority on Islamic art. She is the Senior Advisor for Islamic Art at the Dallas Museum of Art and was instrumental in bringing the Keir Collection to the DMA. To introduce the Keir Collection to Dallas audiences she curated the exhibition Spirit and Matter (2015-2016). Al Khemir was the Founding Director of The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar.

She has curated many exhibitions and authored their catalogs, including From Cordoba to Samarkand(Louvre, 2006), Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture (Brigham Young University Museum and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2012-2013), and Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World (Focus Abengoa Foundation, Seville, Spain, and The Dallas Museum of Art, 2013-2014).

As the artistic director of the exhibition project Kalila and Dimna: Fables Across Time (National Museum in Bahrain, 2015), she has also created paintings to illustrate these ancient fables. Dr. Al Khemir has taught Islamic art at the British Museum, London, and has lectured at institutions around the world.

Al Khemir is also a writer and visual artist. Her historical novel, The Blue Manuscript, was featured at the 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, DC. Her illustrated works include The Island of Animals and a number of book covers of titles such as Respected Sir by the Nobel Prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz.