Turkmen Jewelry From the Pola Collection On View at SFO

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CONTACT: Jane Sullivan
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SF-03-22

Turkmen Jewelry From the Pola Collection On View at SFO

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco International Airport is pleased to present Turkmen Jewelry From the Pola Collection. On loan from the Pola Museum of Art in Japan, the exhibition provides a comprehensive representation of Turkmen jewelry from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries.

The approximately one hundred objects contained in the exhibition come from the nomadic Turkmen tribes of Central Asia. The gilded silver and carnelian diadems, pendants, armlets and amulets capture the stylistic language of traditional Turkmen art. The pieces also reflect the different styles and cultures that have influenced this region - including Byzantine, classical, Arab, Persian, Turkish, Far Eastern and Indian arts.

The existence of the collection is rare in itself. Although Turkmen jewelry was well known to travelers in the nineteenth century, it was not until the 1970s that collections were formed outside the former Soviet Union, most often by individuals. It is, therefore, unusual for institutions such as the Pola Research Institute of Beauty and Culture and the Pola Museum of Art in Japan to have assembled this treasure of Turkmen jewelry.

Turkmen Jewelry is located pre-security in International Terminal Gallery G-2. On view through August 15, 2003, the exhibition is open 24 hours a day, free of charge.

San Francisco Airport Museums

The San Francisco Airport Museums program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public. Today, the San Francisco Airport Museums features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions. A permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation, the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, is located in the International Terminal, open Sunday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Saturdays and holidays.

For more information on the San Francisco Airport Museums program, please visit www.sfoarts.org. For information about SFO, please visit the Airport’s website at www.flysfo.com.