The art world, and indeed the broader landscape of cultural diplomacy, mourns the passing of Sheila R. Canby, a preeminent authority on Islamic art whose visionary curatorship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art redefined public perception and fostered a deeper human understanding of Islam. Ms. Canby, who died on August 17 in Milford, Del., at the age of 76 due to complications from lung cancer, left an indelible mark through her tireless efforts to present Islamic cultural treasures as an antidote to prevailing hostile narratives. Her work was a profound testament to the power of art to bridge divides and illuminate shared human experiences.
Her appointment as chief curator of the Met’s department of Islamic art in 2009 was, as Holland Cotter of The New York Times eloquently put it, “one of the hires of the decade.” This was a particularly crucial moment, arriving as it did in the lingering shadow of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In the wake of those tragic events, many New Yorkers found themselves drawn to the museum’s Islamic galleries, seeking a grasp of a religion that had suddenly become central to global discourse. Ms. Canby understood this impulse, and her subsequent re-installation of the galleries was deliberately crafted to address this profound need for education and empathy.
Ms. Canby’s tenure at the Met culminated in the reopening of the expanded Islamic art galleries in November 2011, a decade after 9/11. She articulated her mission clearly, stating that the public’s attention and anticipation were likely driven “by news events that are focused mostly on war,” a direct reference to the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, tensions in Iran, and the unfolding Arab Spring. Her objective was to alter the prevailing lack of knowledge about the rich history and culture of the Muslim world. This article seeks to explore the remarkable journey and enduring influence of a curator who brought humanity to Islam through art, leaving a legacy of insight and appreciation.
1. **A Life Dedicated to Islamic Art Scholarship**Sheila Randolph Canby’s intellectual journey into the intricate world of Islamic art began with a strong academic foundation. Born on January 10, 1949, in Wilmington, Del., to Henry Mathews Canby, a lawyer, and Elizabeth (Gawthrop) Canby Bush, a socialite and accomplished tennis player, she embarked on a path that would lead her to become one of the most respected figures in her field. Her early education provided the bedrock for her future specialization.
She graduated from Vassar College in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in French art, a seemingly distinct field that nevertheless cultivated her discerning eye for aesthetics and cultural artifacts. It was shortly after her graduation, during her employment at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, that she encountered the captivating works from the Iran collection. This experience proved to be a pivotal moment, sparking a lifelong enthrallment with the art and history of the Islamic world and setting her on a new academic trajectory.
Her burgeoning interest led her to pursue graduate studies at Harvard University, a renowned institution for advanced scholarship. There, she delved deeper into the subject, earning a master’s degree in fine arts in 1976, which solidified her commitment to the field. This was followed by the arduous yet rewarding pursuit of a doctorate in fine arts, which she successfully completed in 1981, officially establishing her as a serious and dedicated scholar of Islamic art.
Her doctoral research further refined her expertise, focusing on specific and highly significant periods and artists. One of her key specialties became the Safavid dynasty, a powerful and culturally rich era in Persian history spanning the 16th and early 17th centuries, encompassing what is now modern-day Iran. Within this period, she held a particular fascination for the miniaturist paintings and drawings of Riza-yi ’Abbasi of Isfahan, a master artist whose work became the focus of her master’s thesis, demonstrating the depth and precision of her academic endeavors.
2. **The Pivotal Role at the British Museum**Before her transformative tenure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sheila R. Canby honed her curatorial skills and established an international reputation at another venerable institution: the British Museum in London. Her extensive experience there was instrumental in shaping her into the leader she would become, preparing her for the monumental tasks that awaited her across the Atlantic. This period was crucial for her professional development and broadened her understanding of global collections.
Ms. Canby served as the curator of Islamic art and antiquities at the British Museum for an impressive eighteen years, from 1991 until her departure for the Met in 2009. This lengthy tenure provided her with invaluable experience in managing a vast and diverse collection, navigating the complexities of exhibition development, and engaging with a global scholarly community. It was a period of sustained focus and dedication, allowing her to deep dive into the intricacies of Islamic art from various regions and periods.
During her time in London, she gained significant expertise in conservation, display, and public education, skills that would prove indispensable in her later work. The British Museum, with its global scope and extensive holdings, offered a fertile ground for her to cultivate a comprehensive understanding of Islamic art’s historical, cultural, and aesthetic dimensions. Her work there was not merely about maintaining a collection but about actively interpreting and presenting it to a wide, international audience.
The experience gained at the British Museum was clearly foundational. It was here that she developed the nuanced perspective and the authoritative voice that would later characterize her leadership at the Met. Her move was not a departure from her field but rather a natural progression, bringing her wealth of knowledge and curatorial acumen to a new, equally prestigious platform where she could further her mission of humanizing Islam through its artistic legacy.
3. **Joining the Metropolitan Museum: A “Hire of the Decade”**Sheila R. Canby’s arrival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2009 was met with considerable anticipation and recognized as a strategic move by the institution. The timing of her appointment was particularly significant, as it followed a period of closure for the museum’s Islamic art galleries. These galleries, which had served as a quiet space for reflection for many New Yorkers in the days immediately following the September 11, 2001, attacks, had closed for extensive renovation in May 2003, creating a void in public access to these crucial cultural narratives.
Her recruitment from the British Museum, where she had established herself as a leading expert, underscored the Met’s commitment to revitalizing and re-envisioning its Islamic art collection. Holland Cotter, the esteemed art critic for The New York Times, captured the magnitude of this decision, declaring Ms. Canby’s appointment as chief curator “one of the hires of the decade.” This high praise reflected not only her individual standing in the field but also the critical importance of the task she was brought in to undertake.
Ms. Canby was entrusted with the immense responsibility of overseeing the expansion and re-installation of the Islamic art galleries. This was no ordinary curatorial role; it involved not just the physical arrangement of objects but a fundamental rethinking of how Islamic art was presented to the American public. Her expertise was vital in shaping the new narrative and ensuring that the galleries would reopen with a fresh perspective, engaging visitors in a post-9/11 world.
Her charge was clear: to transform the existing galleries into a space that could offer a comprehensive, nuanced, and humanizing portrait of Islamic civilization. This required meticulous scholarship, a deep understanding of museological best practices, and a sensitive approach to cultural representation. The expectation was that her leadership would elevate the department and fulfill the museum’s civic duty to foster understanding at a time when it was most needed, making her appointment a truly pivotal moment in the Met’s history.
4. **Humanizing Islam Through Art Post-9/11**Central to Sheila R. Canby’s mission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was the profound imperative to humanize Islam through its artistic heritage, particularly in the somber aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. This period was characterized by a surge in “hostile narratives” concerning the Muslim world, and Ms. Canby recognized the unique capacity of art to offer a powerful and necessary counter-narrative. She understood that visual culture could transcend political rhetoric and reveal the richness of a civilization.
She meticulously curated a collection that aimed to present a “humanizing portrait of Islam” to the public, offering a vivid alternative to the often-demonized portrayals prevalent in media and political discourse. Her approach was not merely academic; it was deeply empathetic, seeking to connect viewers with the creators and patrons of these magnificent works, emphasizing shared human aspirations and achievements across cultures and centuries. This was a deliberate act of cultural diplomacy, executed through the careful arrangement and interpretation of artifacts.
Days before the highly anticipated reopening of the galleries in November 2011, Ms. Canby directly addressed the context of the public’s heightened interest. She acknowledged that the attention and anticipation were “probably driven by news events that are focused mostly on war,” referring to the ongoing U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, the political tensions in Iran, and the unfolding pro-democracy movements of the Arab Spring. She saw this as an opportunity for education, transforming a moment of geopolitical tension into an occasion for cultural enlightenment.
In a profound statement that encapsulated her philosophy, Ms. Canby asserted, “The history and culture represented by the objects in these galleries is still not known nearly as much as it should be.” Her goal was to fundamentally alter this lack of public awareness. She firmly believed that these artistic treasures were inherently “humanizing,” capable of showcasing “the beauty and achievement and even the sense of humor of a great culture.” This vision directly confronted the tendency to “vilify a people as if they have come out of nothing,” by instead highlighting the enduring legacy of creativity, intellect, and grace within Islamic civilization.
5. **Visionary Leadership in Gallery Expansion and Renaming**Under Sheila R. Canby’s astute leadership, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Islamic art galleries underwent not only a physical transformation but also a fundamental conceptual reorientation. Her role extended far beyond curating individual pieces; it encompassed a comprehensive overhaul of the entire exhibition space and its intellectual framework. This monumental task involved careful planning, extensive research, and a profound commitment to inclusive representation, ensuring the galleries reflected the full scope of Islamic artistic expression.
One of the most significant and visible changes implemented under her direction was the renaming of the galleries. What was once simply known as the Islamic art galleries emerged with a new, more historically precise, and expansive title: the Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia. This change was more than a semantic adjustment; it was a deliberate and strategic move to redefine the collection’s identity and scope, challenging previous, often simplistic, categorizations.
Ms. Canby understood that while the new name might be perceived as “somewhat ungainly” due to its length and specificity, its importance lay in its commitment to inclusivity. The expanded title was meticulously chosen to accurately reflect the immense geographical and cultural diversity represented by the more than 15,000 works in the collection. It encompassed an expansive region stretching from Spain to India, acknowledging the myriad of cultures, languages, and artistic traditions that fall under the broader umbrella of Islamic civilization.
This renaming underscored Ms. Canby’s dedication to showcasing the full spectrum of artistic output, encompassing both secular and religious works. By explicitly listing the diverse regions, she aimed to convey the vastness and richness of this artistic tradition, moving beyond a monolithic view of “Islamic art” to one that honored its varied origins and manifestations. This decision was a cornerstone of her efforts to foster a more nuanced understanding of the Muslim world, making the galleries a truly global representation of culture.
6. **The Vast and Diverse Collection Under Her Curatorship**The collection Sheila R. Canby oversaw at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was staggering in its scale and breathtaking in its diversity. Comprising “more than 15,000 works,” it represented a comprehensive survey of Islamic artistic achievement across many centuries and regions. Her curatorial challenge was to distill this vast repository into a coherent and compelling narrative for public display, a task she executed with meticulous care and scholarly precision.
Of this immense collection, “about 1,000 of them were put on view” in the newly expanded and re-installed galleries. These carefully selected pieces were arranged across “14 galleries covering 14 centuries,” offering visitors a chronological and thematic journey through the rich tapestry of Islamic art history. This thoughtful presentation allowed for a deep immersion into the artistic developments and cultural contexts of each period, ensuring a comprehensive educational experience.
The geographical breadth of the collection was equally impressive, spanning a “vast region extending from Spain to India.” This expansive scope allowed Ms. Canby to highlight the interconnectedness of different Islamic cultures while also celebrating their unique artistic expressions. It underscored the global reach and influence of Islamic civilization, showcasing its impact across continents and diverse populations. Her curatorship brought this incredible geographical and temporal span into sharp, accessible focus.
Ms. Canby explicitly stated that “the history and culture represented by the objects in these galleries is still not known nearly as much as it should be.” This acknowledgment fueled her ambition for the reopened galleries. The goal was unequivocally “to change that,” to transform the public’s understanding from a vague, often misinformed, impression to one grounded in the tangible beauty and intellectual depth of Islamic art. Through the sheer scale and careful curation of the collection, she aimed to provide an unparalleled educational resource, inviting visitors to engage deeply with a culture often misunderstood.”
