From Afar, travelling Materials and Objects: the compelling Louvre exhibition

From September 22, 2021 to July 4, 2022, the Louvre Petite Galerie houses the “From Afar, travelling Materials and Objects” exhibition following the traces of masterpiece trade between faraway worlds.

Devoted to artistic and cultural education, the Louvre Petite Galerie offers for its sixth season to explore the theme of materials and objects “from afar”, that travelled the world and centuries. Running from September 22, 2021 to July 4, 2022, the exhibition accompanies the “Paris-Athens, the Birth of Modern Greece” exhibition, you can also enjoy starting from September 30.

The Louvre invites us to discover precious materials that traveled across the world and journeyed through many lands before coming to us. This is the occasion to walk the trade routes to enjoy and understand the journey these materials coming from afar – such as ivory or mother-of-pearl – have had to complete before adorning jewels and precious items we are lucky to observe. The exhibition also addresses trades between the peoples and the leaders of kingdoms, before the 16^th century explorations.

Since the earliest Antiquity, conelian, lapis lazuli and ebony are considered as prestigious because they are rare and require transport before arriving in Europe. A fascinating and “exotic” rarity that caused many myths about them. Elephant tooth, ivory has been especially used for sculptures of many sizes because of its dazzling beauty. And visitors are even offered to touch a genuine elephant tusk!

These animals from afar have even inspired many artists who saw them for the first time when gifted to European monarchs. The Zarafa giraffe for instance travelled all the way from Egypt to France to be displayed at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. since then, animals coming further worlds have started to adorn daily items.

These travelling objects – genuine pieces of art – tell their stories and the stories the countries they come from, from the Indies to Africa. Materials – sometimes transformed once arrived in Europe – show the world’s complexity and the cultural exchanges over time. A colorful exhibition taking us to exotic lands. An exhibition you do not want to miss!