All About the Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design at Louvre

The unique exhibition "Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design," which is scheduled to run from November 16th, 2023, to March 24th, 2024, was officially launched by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The exhibition will showcase the influence of Islamic art on Cartier's design spanning the early 20th century to the present day. Co-curated by Évelyne Possémé, Former Chief Curator of Ancient and Modern Jewelry at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and Judith Hénon-Raynaud, Curator and Deputy Director of the Department of Islamic Art at the Musée du Louvre, it will feature over 500 pieces, including jewelry, Islamic art masterpieces, drawings, books, photographs, and archival documents.

Coordinated by Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée du Louvre, and France Muséums, with the backing of Maison Cartier, the exhibit delves into the impact of Islamic art on Cartier's design spanning the early 20th century to the contemporary era.

The exhibition, titled "Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design," is jointly curated by Judith Henon-Raynaud, Chief Curator, and Deputy Director of the Department of Islamic Art at the Musée du Louvre, and Évelyne Possémé, Former Chief Curator of Ancient and Modern Jewelry at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Fakhera Alkindi, Senior Curatorial Assistant at Louvre Abu Dhabi, provided additional support.

This exhibition expands on the project "Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity (Paris-Dallas 2021-2022)," originally conceived and co-organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. It had the exceptional collaboration of the Musée du Louvre and the support of Maison Cartier, curated by Heather Ecker, Judith Henon-Raynaud, Évelyne Possémé, and Sarah Schleuning.

The turn of the 20th century witnessed major exhibitions devoted to Islamic art, influencing a Persian fashion trend in Paris. The influx of works, notably Persian and Indian paintings and manuscripts, played a pivotal role in shaping this cultural shift.

This iteration at Louvre Abu Dhabi serves as a reinterpretation of a traveling exhibition initially presented in 2022 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Dallas Museum of Art, with the support of Cartier