Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Jean-Leon Gérôme explores the complex legacy of one of the world’s most famous Orientalist painters, whose depictions of the MENA region have been the subject of critical scrutiny since the 1970s. Engaging with these critiques, the book seeks to provide different perspectives on the artist, with essays examining his pioneering style, and featuring iconic paintings from the Lusail Museum, Doha, and other collections. It then goes on to look at Orientalism as represented in early photography, including stunning photogravures of Gérôme’s paintings in addition to rarely seen archival images from the region. The final chapter shifts the lens to modern artists who reimagine the East, challenging and deconstructing the Orientalist tropes inspired by Gérôme and his contemporaries. By juxtaposing historical and modern perspectives, Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Jean-Leon Gérôme provides a thought-provoking examination of how the East has been visually constructed, contested, and re-envisioned across time. This book has been published to accompany the exhibition presented in Doha by the Lusail Museum in collaboration with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, October 2024–February 2025.
Language English
Publication date 2024
ISBN 9789927108969
