ABOUT DARAT AL FUNUN - THE KHALID SHOMAN FOUNDATION
Darat al Funun aims to provide a platform for contemporary Arab artists, to support art practices and artistic exchange, to stimulate critical discourse, and to research, document and archive Arab art.
ABOUT DARAT AL FUNUN’S LIBRARY
With its vaulted ceilings, reminiscent of the Umayyad architectural style of Qusayr Amra, and with retrieved archaeological artefacts enhancing the learning environment, Darat al Funun’s specialized library is endowed with a wide selection of reference publications. The collection, in both Arabic and English, includes carefully selected books ranging from the ancient to the contemporary arts, dealing with the history of art, artistic movements, and art techniques from the Arabic and western worlds, as well as from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The library further houses a digital database on Arab artists, which, together with a collection of slides and videotapes documenting Darat al Funun’s own public events and exhibitions, form a basis for future research, centred on Arab art and artists.