HAWAII'S SHANGRI-LA continued...

Discover the Glory of Islamic Art in the  Shadow of Diamond Head.

Who Was Doris Duke?

Who was this fantastic woman? It all depends on whom you ask. Old timers who remember hearing about her will tell you that in the 1920s she was the richest child in the world--she inherited her father's huge tobacco company fortune at the age of 12. During the great Depression of the l930s, she and Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton were the Paris Hiltons of their day. In the l940s, she made headlines with her short-lived second marriage to the notorious two-timing Panamanian ladies man and race car driver Porfirio Rubirosa. And only a few years ago, to a beach boy we found, she was “that old blond haole [non-Hawaiian] who chased us neighborhood kids away from her private dock.”  

< Doris Duke, with faithful companion, in the paradise she made.

To visitors to Shangri La, however, Duke is the dedicated multimillionaire and philanthropist who collected and cherished 3,500 pieces of Islamic art, and at her death in l993 at the age of 80, left this delight for the world to enjoy.

Born to a prominent East Coast Protestant family (she never converted to Islam) and without a college education or classes in history or art, Duke was instinctively drawn to Middle Eastern culture and design. At 22, on her round-the-world honeymoon with first husband James Cromwell, she was so taken with the utter beauty of the Taj Majal that she went on to buy Middle Eastern objects, paintings and furniture during the rest of the trip, and, in fact, during the rest of her life.

When the bride and groom reached Hawaii, their last stop, they began planning the construction of Shangri La, which eventually housed her Islamic treasures. And that was the start of a lifetime of working with artists, architects and art dealers.

Though Shangri La was a favorite, it was merely Duke's winter home, one of her four estates. The others, in New Jersey, Beverly Hills and Newport, Rhode Island, hold some more of her collections, notably Thai and Indonesian art.

Today, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art that she created carries on her work by improving lives through study, understanding and appreciation of Islamic arts and cultures.

 

MUSEUM WITH A MISSION

Sharon Littlefield, Ph.D., Acting Curator of Shangri La, Says it for All of Us:

“In these tense times, characterized by misinformation and lack of understanding about Islam, it is important to emphasize the history of acceptance and tolerance for diverse religious, ethnic and linguistic peoples living and working in the Islamic world from the rise of Islam to the present."

The histories and influences of cultural exchange can challenge present day stereotypes of Muslim societies as monolithic, insular, and intolerant. This is a complex history which has only begun to be told and which can have important relevance and impact on contemporary societies.

“Shangri La is innately about cultural pluralism: created by a twentieth century American woman, situated on a Hawaiian island in the mid-Pacific and filled with a diverse collection of Islamic art. The art collections, gardens, and architecture are clear evidence of the processes of cultural encounter and acceptance which have also characterized the Islamic world and are testament to the ways in which exchange of cultural influences can spark creative innovation and transform
cultural identities.”

 

Getting into Shangri La

Since the first visitors arrived six years ago, Shangri La has morphed from best-kept secret in Honolulu to hottest ticket in town. But you may still get a chance to enjoy it if you reserve your tour as soon as you know your travel dates. Depending on the season, tours can fill months in advance, though last minute tickets are sometimes available.

For tickets, call 1-866-DUKE-TIX, Monday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. If calling after hours, leave name, phone number and time zone on voice mail, and call will be returned.

Admission: $25 (no children under 12). Tours Wednesday through Saturday by reservation only. Closed month of September and major holidays.
All tours depart from the Honolulu Academy of Arts by minivan. People who come by private automobile are turned away, and taxi drivers know that they are not allowed to deliver you there.

For more information including an extensive virtual tour of the estate: www.shangrilahawaii.org.

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