The below is an article I wrote and was published in 2004. I posted earlier that Dr. Geza has died recently after several years of illness. I only met him this once, but he made quite an impression and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Some people stand out.
I noted that my dear friend (from a distance), Claudia Farkas Al-Rashoud, has a lovely tribute to Dr. Fehervari in today's arab Times. If you can get the paper today, please check it out. Claudia is a brilliant writer and has quite obviously put her heart into this article.
Below is mine (not, I believe, as well written...)
Tareq Rejab Musum
The Tareq Rejab Museum is not only a collection of artwork,
but a collection of people who share the same interests and love for their
work. The staff is an extended family
that has been brought together by luck or fate or providence. The collection of
people who have come together to work at the museum are as interesting as the
objects they protect.
The museum is located in the house belonging to the Rejab family,
behind the Iranian school on Street 5 in Jabriya. There is a sign above the door and (friendly
and considerate) guardsmen at the main gate.
The only other differentiating characteristic of the building’s exterior
is the dark colored woodwork. It could
be a house anywhere in Kuwait. The Rejabs and Dr. Geza live upstairs and the
museum is in the basement.
The collection is divided into areas for calligraphy,
manuscripts, miniatures, ceramics, metalwork, glass, jade, wood, stone
carvings, costumes, textiles, jewelry and musical instruments. The collection boasts 140 Qurans (early,
medieval and recent) and the largest collection of antique silver jewelry in
the Middle East. The costume jewelry collection is interesting
because it contains tribal jewelry and pieces from various Islamic countries;
unlike collections in most galleries around the world. In addition, the museum also has a total of
17,000 books; 7,000 of which cover Islamic art.
One of the most interesting pieces at the museum is a wood
and metal door from the mausoleum of Sultan Barquq, ruler of Egypt and Syria from 1382-1389. There is an identical door in the Barquq
Mosque in Cairo. In a twist of fate, the door was thought to
be a replica and on show on and off for 100 years in the United States. Mr. Rejab purchased the door from Christie’s
International auction house in New York and
brought it to Kuwait. It turned out to be the original door; not
100 years old, but 700 years old. “New York’s loss is Kuwait’s gain,” as Dr. Geza says.
Everything happens for a reason and there is a time for
everything; therefore giving me an explanation of why I have never visited the Tareq Rejab
Museum in Jabriya before
this month. Had I visited sooner, I may
have missed the opportunity to be personally guided through the collection by
the museum’s curator, Dr. Geza Fehervari.
Dr. Geza as he is referred to around the museum, has been
working as Curator for the past fifteen years.
He is in his 70’s, but one would never know it by the way he
enthusiastically flies throughout the corridors and up and down the stairs, as
if in a dance around treasured objects.
His bright blue eyes sparkle as he talks about a profession he obviously
loves and takes great pride in. Before
taking over as Curator of the Museum, Dr. Geza was Professor Emeritus in
Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University
of London and is the former Hungarian
Ambassador to Kuwait.
Dr. Geza met Tareq Rejab in London and was offered a position as curator.
Before he could take the job, Dr. Geza was offered ambassadorship in Kuwait, so the
museum waited for him until he could join.
He has since “retired” and spends approximately 3 months a year in Kuwait working
for the museum. The rest of the year is
spent between exhibits in other countries and in his home in Hungary with
his wife of approximately 50 years (a marriage which extends a span of time as
long as Mr. and Mrs. Rejab’s).
Ali Jazi is another notable member of the extended Rejab
family. He describes his job title as, “Buyer and Whatever They Need Me to
Do". "I am not an achedemic like Dr.
Geza. I worked for a famous antiques
dealer in London. Mr. Rejab used to buy from him. He had only one good customer and that was
Mr. Rejab.” Mr. Rejab would often call
Ali for particular types of pieces and after many years, it was Mr. Rejab who
prompted Ali to work directly for him. “Mr.
Rejab asked me many times to come to Kuwait. I enjoy my job. Mr. Rejab is addicted to art. He can’t stop buying it. Sometimes he tells me to buy things and I
don’t know why until later.” Of his friends, Ali says, “Geza and I have been
working together for more than 10 years.
He is more than a friend. He is
also my teacher. I am Iranian, but Geza
knows more about Iran
than I do. I am so lucky and honored to
be here and also to be working with Tareq.
Many scholars wish for the opportunity to spend time with Mr. Rejab and
I am with him all the time; swimming and eating. This is a great opportunity for me.” (The residence where Ali lives, Dar Al Cid
has an enormous and sparklingly-clean pool.
Museum and NES employees frequently spend time at the pool or share
meals with Mr. Rejab.)
Mr. Tareq Rejab and Mrs. Jehan Rejab are the most famous of
the museum’s personalities. Tareq Rejab
was the first Kuwaiti to be sent abroad to study art and archeology. Mrs. Rejab had always been interested in art
and foreign cultures, growing up in Scotland. They met at the University
of Bristol in the UK, realized
that they had the same interests in archaeology and culture, fell in love and
got married. “They compliment each
other,” as Ali and Dr. Geza explain. They
started collecting art far before the formation of the museum in 1980. At the age of 14, Mr. Rejab went to Baghdad and purchased his
first manuscript; starting a collection which has now spanned a lifetime;
weaving a tapestry with other people’s lives.
Mr. and Mrs. Rejab opened the New English School in 1969 (his grandfather built first public
school in Kuwait
in1904), which is within close proximity to the museum. Another property within
walking distance of the museum is Dar Al Cid.
Opened in 2000, it is a
residential complex which also houses two galleries on the lower level where
exhibitions are often held. Dar Al Cid
is like a museum unto itself: it is extraordinary in its architecture and
design; Ali received calls years ago from Mr. Rejab, asking him to buy any
pieces of antique stained glass that he could find (before the prices increased
dramatically). Ali didn’t understand
why, but realized what had happened when Dar Al Cid started to take shape: Mr. Rejab asked the builders to create
windows around the various-sized stained glass pieces that Ali had purchased
for him years before. As Dr. Geza says, “That man is a genius. He designed the museum, the New English
School, and Dar Al Cid;
down to the tiles and the fixtures.”
Everywhere your eye turns in Dar
Al Cid is met with art: mosaic tiles,
wood carvings and carpentry, stained glass, arches – and of course the
collection of art that is either hung on the walls placed to catch the eye.
The property is extremely
well-kept; not a spot of dust in any corner and everything shiny and clean;
another indication that the cleaning staff is more like family than paid
employees. The style of the complex is
similar to an old Arabic house with rooms around a central courtyard (in this
case, the courtyard holds a large swimming pool) and there is a garden with
fountain in the rear of the building; wonderful for relaxing evenings. Mr. Rejab is selective about who occupies the
building; most residents are either employees of the museum or the New English
School.
Mr. Rejab seems to breathe artwork; it is infused into his
body and soul. Several years ago, Mr.
Rejab was very ill and was in a hospital in the UK.
He was diagnosed with blood poisoning and wasn’t doing very well. Providence
again intervened when a buyer literally walked into the hospital with an
extremely rare piece of artwork; an Islamic bronze incense burner from late 10th
or early 11th AD (pictured on their website). As Ali explained, “He got energy and he
immediately got well. His body fought.”
The Rejabs’ energy isn’t limited to collecting and sharing
art through the museum. The museum will
soon release a book about the door from the mausoleum of Sultan Barquq and it’s
mysterious past. Mr. and Mrs. Rejab have
both published quite a few books over the years; many can be found in local
book stores.
The museum also holds exhibitions; both in Kuwait and
abroad. Many of the museums’ pieces are
lent out to foreign museums; most recently in Singapore. The museums news for exhibits, publications
and other information can be found on their website.
The Tareq
Rejab Museum
does not receive grants from the government and must rely on Mr. and Mrs.
Rejab’s limited funding alone. “When the
Kuwait National Museum of Art is re-opened (anticipated in 2007), we hope that
they will have a section for the Rejab
Museum. It is not certain.”
It is a shame because the collection is truly amazing and
should be shared with a broader audience in a much larger, brighter area. There are so many objects, that there is not
enough room to house them all. Art is
stored at several locations, in basements and even on rooftops; art that should
be revered by the local community.
As Dr. Geza explains, “Most of our visitors are
foreign. We also offer tours to school
children, but the majority of local schools who show interest are Western, not
Kuwaiti. It is a shame.”
Unfortunately, most charitable Kuwaiti philanthropists have
chosen other ways to donate their funds and often build mosques throughout the
country. When Islam was first
introduced, the Prophet promoted the building of mosques and the methodology
was that if you build a mosque, God will build you a house in Heaven.
Currently, the Kuwaiti Government donates land and
construction is discounted to those who build mosques. It is evident throughout Kuwait that many
wealthy individuals have gone to great lengths to create mosques; sometimes situated
very closely together (generating a question of how many worshipers there can
possibly be); and are often architectural wonders. Unfortunately, the same is not being done for
museums or historical sites; much of the country’s historical and Islamic heritage
has been neglected.
Part of the museum’s funding problem may be that Mr. Rejab
is a humble man. As Ali explained, “We
have a bulletin board in the kitchen.
Every day I see invitations there from dignitaries, sheikhs and famous
people inviting Mr. Rejab. He seldom goes.” Instead, Mr. Rejab prefers to spend
time with a close-knit group of friends and family members. “Several days ago, I saw him eating with the
workers. Every day he sits with them and
they tell him their problems and he listens.”
Occasionally within close-knit families, members seem to be
able to read each others’ minds: Ali and
Geza are convinced that Mr. Rejab can read their minds. He anticipates what they will say before the
words have left their mouths because he knows them well. “That man is a
genius. He reads my mind. I say, ‘How do
you know?’ He says, ‘Because I know you.”
The extended Rejab family meets on Fridays for dinner and Geza and Ali
have breakfast with Mr. Rejab every morning.
Dr. Geza’s only regret is that he has not had more time with
the Rejabs, “What a shame we hadn’t met before.
If I met them sooner, we could have achieved more.” As Ali says with a smile, “We are all still
young and we have a long way to go.”
The Tareq Rejab Museum The Museum
is open to the public from: 09:00 - 12:00 noon and 16:00 - 19:00. On Fridays
open only in the morning from: 09:00 - 12:00 noon. During Ramadan, the museum is open from 09:00
- 12:00 noon and 18:00 - 21:00 Fridays
the usual time. Their phone number is 2533-9063. Website: http://www.trmkt.com
