The aims and aspirations of Nasser D Khalili as a collector can be divided into a number of areas, each of them distinct from one another but nevertheless closely interlinked.
First among these has been the assembly of five outstanding collections of works of art, a process which began in 1970 and has now brought the total number of pieces in the Khalili Collections to some 25,000 objects, many of them masterpieces in their own right. This has been accompanied by careful conservation of the objects themselves.
At the same time he has embarked upon an extensive programme of publication and research, an endeavour which began in the early 1980s. Assisted by leading academics in each field, he has now published almost 90% of the Collections; once complete, the project will comprise over 50 volumes, which will make it the largest art publication by any single collector in the world. The cost of publishing the Khalili Collections has been financed by The Khalili Family Trust.
Finally, it has been his aim to make the Collections accessible to the public through exhibitions around the world, and since the early 1990s objects from the Collections have been displayed in more than 35 major museums. Ultimately he hopes to place the objects in the Khalili Collections on permanent display.
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