Cartier has partnered with Louvre Abu Dhabi to present an exclusive exhibition, celebrating centuries of Islamic art inspiration to the Maison’s collections. ‘Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design’ which is open to the public until March 24, 2024.
Co-organised by Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée du Louvre and France Muséums, with the support of Maison Cartier, the exhibition explores the influence of Islamic art on Cartier’s designs from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
The exhibition features over 400 works from Louvre Abu Dhabi, partner museums, the Cartier Collection and private collections, to explore over a century of artistic influence. It is co-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 Jewellery at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, with the assistance of Fakhera Alkindi, Senior Curatorial Assistant at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The exhibition builds on a recent project titled Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity (Paris-Dallas 2021-2022), which was initially conceived and co-organised by the Dallas Museum of Art and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, with the exceptional collaboration of the Musée du Louvre and the support of Maison Cartier. The exhibition was curated by Heather Ecker, Judith Henon-Raynaud, Évelyne Possémé and Sarah Schleuning.
At the turn of the 20th century, Louis Cartier, grandson of the founder of the Maison, was deeply intrigued by the artistic traditions that he discovered in the Parisian art market. At the time, significant exhibitions dedicated to Islamic art and the massive arrival of works, particularly Persian and Indian paintings and manuscripts, led to the development of a true Persian fashion in Paris. In search of new sources of inspiration, Cartier enriched the brand’s study library with publications dedicated to Islamic arts and architecture.
The library became an endless source of inspiration for patterns for the Maison’s designs. In the 1910s, Louis Cartier initiated a personal collection of Islamic art, which he made available to the Maison’s designers; the influences can be clearly seen throughout the designs over the past years. In 1911, his brother Jacques Cartier travelled to India to reinforce ties with Maharajas and to the Arabian Gulf region to investigate the pearl market. The discovery of the patterns and shapes in architecture, artworks, and literature unlocked a new realm of modern artistic expression for the Maison, right up to the artistic direction of Jeanne Toussaint and even today.
The exhibition explores these artworks and the influences that they have had on the Maison throughout the years. It features masterpieces of Islamic art, jewellery, drawings, design sketches, miniatures, textiles, photographs and archival material. Highlights include a wooden Carved ivory panel with scrolls (1334 – 1339, Cairo, Egypt); a Dish with a blue Saz leaf, dotted tulips and roses (ca. 1580, Iznik, Turkey). A wooden Carved ivory panel with scrolls (1334 – 1339, Cairo, Egypt); a Dish with a blue Saz leaf, dotted tulips and roses (ca. 1580, Iznik, Turkey); from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. From the Musée du Louvre highlights include a Fragment of a mosaic panel with geometric decoration (14 – 15th century), Three tiles from a wall panel (1550 – 1600, Damascus, Syria), and a Pen box, said to have belonged to Mirza Muhammad Munshi.
The Cartier Collection is lending special works, including a cigarette case (Cartier Paris, 1930), a vanity case with decoration inspired by Iznik ceramics (Cartier Paris, 1927), a Hindu necklace (Cartier Paris, 1936) and a tiara (Cartier London, 1937). Le Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris is lending an exceptional collection of design sketches by Charles Jacqueau, a pivotal designer to Maison Cartier.
Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, commented on the exhibition: “As the first universal museum in the Arab World, Louvre Abu Dhabi seeks to broaden our visitors’ perspectives by bringing unique art and cultural experiences to Abu Dhabi. Through this exhibition, and thanks to the precious loans from our partners – Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée du Louvre and many other lenders, our visitors will not only be able to discover new connections between cultures and gain a better understanding of modernity but they will also be inspired by the rich technicalities and unique materials of Islamic art, architecture and Cartier jewellery on display. The Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi is also a testament to a longstanding and successful partnership between our institution and Cartier.”
Pierre Rainero, Image, Style and Heritage Director at Cartier added: “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.”
