The Arab Hall: Curator tour with Melanie Gibson

About the tour

Join Dr Melanie Gibson for a tour of Leighton House’s major exhibition The Arab Hall: Past and Present, which she has co-curated. Melanie has recently published The Arab Hall - Frederic Leighton: Traveller and Collector, a new book containing extensive research and fascinating findings on the locations and provenance of the extraordinary tile collection in the Arab Hall. In the tour, Melanie will also discuss Leighton's interest in Turkish and Iranian ceramics, some of them on display across the historic house and the exhibition.

Useful Information

• Group will gather in the reception area of the museum, for a start time of 1pm.
• The tour includes access to the historic house and exhibition galleries.

Book tickets

Meet Dr Melanie Gibson

Dr. Melanie Gibson, BA (Oxon) MA, PhD (SOAS, London University) is a well-known authority on Middle Eastern ceramics, writing and lecturing on them worldwide. Having studied Arabic at Oxford University, where her interest in the history of the ceramics of the Islamic world began, she gained her doctorate at SOAS, University of London. From 2013 to 2016 she was head of the Art History department at the New College of the Humanities, London, and from 2006 to 2017, the convenor and course tutor of the Arts of the Islamic World module in the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art at SOAS. A Council Member of the Oriental Ceramic Society, she is also an Executive Trustee of Gingko and Editor of the Gingko Art Series, and a Trustee of the Friends of Leighton House, where she first became fascinated by the history behind the creation of The Arab Hall.

For updates on all of our  upcoming events sign up to our museums e-newsletter