Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili has just returned from a busy tour of America’s East Coast where he had the opportunity to speak about his extraordinary book, The Art of Peace, highlighting the power of art to foster peace and harmony.
The week started at Yale University’s International Leadership Center, hosted by Director Emma Sky, where Sir David spoke to an assembled group of Fellows and students about the power of art to tell our different stories, to celebrate our common humanity, and to preserve our shared cultural heritage. “We are living in a time that resembles a dark tunnel. And art is one thing that can turn on the light. A flame that defeats darkness.” Sir David also toured The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which was led by Director of Community Engagement Michael Morand, who showed a range of treasures from the comprehensive Yale collection.
Sir David also visited his alma mater Queen’s College, CUNY from which he graduated in 1974. President Frank Wu and senior leaders from the Queen’s College team welcomed him and showed him around campus, highlighting how despite the growth and changes from Sir David’s time there, the mission and feel of Queen’s College still had not changed. Sir David was also given a tour of university’s Art Gallery, including a pamphlet celebrating his own support of an Islamic Art exhibition hosted in 2007.
Sir David was later welcomed to the Asia Society in New York City, where he met with Yasufumi Nakamori, Director of the Asia Society Museum and previously Senior Curator of International Art at the Tate in London. Sir David heard about the exceptional history of the Museum and the connectivity with his own collections, particularly the Japanese Kimono Collection, and was given a tour of the current Madayin exhibition, which celebrates eight decades of Aboriginal Australian bark paintings from Yirrkala.
Sir David’s time on the East Coast ended with a very special breakfast gathering with senior business, religious and cultural leaders and which was hosted by the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and The New York Public Library.
