Louvre Abu Dhabi is hosting the exhibition “Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design” until 24 March, showcasing the influence of Islamic art on Cartier’s iconic jewelry.
“Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design” at Louvre Abu Dhabi explores the influence of Islamic art on Cartier’s celebrated designs. The exhibition showcases the French Maison’s sources of inspiration and its creative process with over 400 objects, including masterpieces of Islamic art, jewelry, drawings, design sketches, miniatures, textiles, photographs and archival material. These stem from the collections of Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée du Louvre, and Cartier Collection and Archives, as well as exceptional loans from Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris and other lenders.
Islamic art has played a significant role in Cartier’s designs, dating back to the 20th century. Pierre Rainero, Image, Style and Heritage Director at Cartier, further elaborates: “Islamic art has played a significant and structural impact on Cartier’s creative language since the beginning of the 20th century. This vocabulary continues to grow even today, thanks to the richness of geometric patterns and their many combinations. This exhibition underscores the living language of the Cartier style, and in turn highlights how important jewellery is to the artistic field. Cartier’s true pioneering spirit is also revealed, along with the role the Maison played in the birth of modernity at the start of the 20th century.”
In the early 20th century, exhibitions dedicated to Islamic art and the massive arrival of works, particularly Persian and Indian paintings and manuscripts, led to the development of a Persian fashion in Paris. Louis Cartier, grandson of the founder of the Maison, was deeply intrigued by artistic traditions which he discovered in the Parisian art market. Seeking inspiration, he enriched the Maison’s study library with the latest publications dedicated to Islamic arts and architecture, which would be an endless source of patterns for the Maison’s designers. Through travels to India and the Arabian Gulf, his brother Jacques Cartier came across patterns and shapes in architecture, artworks and literature, which unlocked a new realm of modern artistic expression for the Maison, right up to the artistic direction of Jeanne Toussaint and even today.
Besides showing the Islamic influences on Cartier’s iconic designs, the exhibition demonstrates the intriguing connection between the East and the West.
Discover more at: louvreabudhabi.ae
Further impressions of the exhibition:
