Frederic Leighton was celebrated as one of the most successful artists of his day. He travelled to Granada, Istanbul, Cairo and Damascus, gathering architectural elements for the domed, tiled Arab Hall at his London home. Art historian Dr Melanie Gibson, the first to study Leighton as a traveller and collector of Islamic art, explains how he and collaborators including George Aitchison, William De Morgan and Walter Crane created what has been called ‘the most beautiful room in London. Her book on the same topic: The Arab Hall: Frederic Leighton, Traveller and Collector is also published this year (2026).
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Talk: Frederic Leighton’s Arab Hall, Dr Melanie Gibson
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Frederic Leighton was celebrated as one of the most successful artists of his day. He travelled to Granada, Istanbul, Cairo and Damascus, gathering architectural elements for the domed, tiled Arab Hall at his London home. Art historian Dr Melanie Gibson, the first to study Leighton as a traveller and collector of Islamic art, explains how he and collaborators including George Aitchison, William De Morgan and Walter Crane created what has been called ‘the most beautiful room in London. Her book on the same topic: The Arab Hall: Frederic Leighton, Traveller and Collector is also published this year (2026).