“The 1,428 years of the Ummah embrace many civilisations and are therefore characterised by an astonishing pluralism. In particular, this geographic, ethnic, linguistic and religious pluralism has manifested itself at the most defining moments in the history of the Ummah. The Aga Khan Museum Collection will highlight objects drawn from every region and every period, and created from every kind of material in the Muslim world.” - His Highness the Aga Khan
Opened in 2014, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada is home to over 1,000 masterpieces showcasing the arts of Muslim civilisations from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Its dynamic collection of manuscripts, scientific instruments, paintings, ceramics, and metalwork continues to evolve through new acquisitions. Now spanning the 8th to the 21st centuries, this Collection shows the enduring power of tradition in contemporary art.
First and foremost an educational institution, the Aga Khan Museum illuminates connections between eras and cultures by offering a wide range of programmes for all ages. Illustrated talks, studio programmes, tours, and lectures offer unique opportunities to interact with the Museum’s Collection, exhibitions, and experts.
The Museum also publishes curriculum guides, catalogues, and exhibition guides, sharing its resources widely.
Showcasing up to four special exhibitions per year, the Museum both originates exhibitions and partners with cultural institutions around the globe to present the arts of Muslim civilisations in all their diversity and through all media, from photography to sculpture, installation art to textiles.
Its state-of-the-art auditorium hosts live performances of music, theatre, and dance, illuminating deep connections — forged over many centuries — between the visual and performing arts.
In a personal letter to architect Fumihiko Maki, His Highness the Aga Khan suggested the Museum be designed around the concept of light. Light, His Highness noted, has been an enduring inspiration for the world’s religions and civilisations since earliest times.
Maki responded with a design that invites direct and diffuse light into the building in ingenious ways. The building is positioned 45 degrees to solar north to ensure that all exterior surfaces receive natural light over the course of the day. Angular walls of white Brazilian granite, a material chosen for its resilience and luminosity, enhance the play of light across building surfaces.
