Book on Flora of Oman

Bait Al Baranda hosted the launch of Dr Annette Patzelt’s new book “Wild Plants of Oman’.

The launch of Wild Plants of Oman

For a layman the book has a great way of grouping the plants – by the colour of the flower; though I will be a bit lost when the flowers drop off a plant. Though Annette was with Sultan Qaboos University the book has been published by Kew Gardens .

Dr Annette Patzelt signs her book

The excellent photos in the book were taken by Annette Pickering .

The Klimt exhibition opens in Muscat

Sayyid Ali and Bernhard Böhler

 

The “Golden Age of Austrian Art” was opened today by H.E. Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al BuSaidi, Minister of the Diwan. Included in the display is the Gustav Klimt study sketch for the painting of “Adele Bloch-Bauer” ( the painting that was sold to the Lauder Museum) and includes other works by Kokoschka, Schiele and Fronius . 

Bernhard Böhler the Director of the Dommuseum Museum, which provided the sketches for the exhibition, gave Sayyid Ali an overview of highlights. This is the first in a series of art exhibitions featuring international artists – the planned list is of similar calibre. Austria and Oman have a co-operative relationship in culture going back well over a decade – and this is a wonderful example.

Setting the tone for the evening the opening was followed by the “Trish Trash” Polka and later other Austrian music – performed by members from the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra .