Exhibition "Meisterwerke muhammedanischer Kunst" ("Masterpieces of Muhammadan Art") took place in Theresienhöhe, München since 14 May 1910 thanks to art collector Bavarian crown prince Rupprecht.
With around 3,600 objects from more than 260 international collections in 80 halls,[1] it was the largest exhibition of the Islamic art before WW1. It gave the western viewer a comprehensive historical picture of the arts in Muslim countries and thus prepared the ground for further scientific research into them. Objects that had previously been considered popular or arts and crafts were elevated to the status of "masterpieces".[2]
According to modern scholars it was the turning point: it broke away from the previously dominant idea of orientalism and exotic fantasy and led to an objective view of the visual culture of the Islamic world. Naming the Islamic items as "masterpieces", it laid claim to bestow upon Islamic art “a place equal to that of other cultural periods”.