Lecture | Zulfi Ali Presents Kashmir Textiles
Zulfi Ali
June 22, 2023
This lecture is presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Woven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection.”
The Parpia Collection—one of the most significant private collections of Indian textiles outside of India—is also one of the most important in the United States. Seldom are collections of Indian textiles as comprehensive, or collected with such expertise. Woven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection brings this extraordinary collection to Houston audiences for the first time.
Zulfi Ali presents the Zulfiqar Collection, comprising the entire spectrum of the heritage arts of Kashmir, India. The largest and most prized objects are the Kashmir shawls from the mid-1700s to early 20th century. Other heritage art forms in the collection include papier-mâché or lacquerware, engraved silver, and engraved copper from the early 1800s to mid-20th century. Also featured is the lost art of Kashmiri enamelware and paper artifacts such as etchings, lithographs, and illustrations that depict Kashmir and Kashmir shawls from the 1800s.
He describes his collection “as a medium to educate the world about the beauty and history of Kashmir’s artistic legacy and tell the fascinating human story that is inextricably linked to these objects—with fond hope that it inspires future generations of Kashmiris to elevate their ancestral arts to their former glory.”
Admission
Tickets to the lecture are free. No late seating. Any unclaimed seats are released five minutes before start time.
Plan Your Visit
The lecture takes place in the American General Conference Room in the Beck Building. On Thursdays, the Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with free general admission.
Related Event
Trunk Show at MFA Shop
Thursday, Friday & Saturday / June 22, 23, 24
About the Speaker
Zulfi Ali was born and raised in the valley of Kashmir, India, in a family with a deep, multi-generational connection to Kashmir’s heritage arts, particularly papier-mâché. From a very young age, he was influenced by the artistic traditions of his own family and the artistic environment of the valley. He came to the United States to pursue his education, and after settling in a career began to first research and then build his collection of the heritage arts of his ancestors.
“Woven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection” is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Lead Underwriters:
The Sushila and Dr. Durga D. Agrawal Family
Generous support provided by:
Sesh and Prabha Bala
Milton D. Rosenau, Jr. and Dr. Ellen R. Gritz
Chitra Kumar and Kumar Bashyam
Paul and Manmeet Likhari
Nidhika and Pershant Mehta
Drs. Kumara and Usha Peddamatham
Special exhibition programming is made possible by The Medha and Shashank Karve Endowment Fund.
All Learning and Interpretation programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive generous support from Macey and Harry Reasoner; the Claire and Theodore Morse Foundation; and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Endowment funds are provided by the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Windgate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Ballard; Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Tate; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Virginia and Ira Jackson; the Favrot Fund; CFP Foundation; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of John Wynne; gifts in memory of Peter Lotz; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.