Cartier and Islamic Art exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Cartier and the Arts of Islam. Aux sources de la modernité, is the name of the new exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs that awaits us from October 21, 2021 to February 20, 2022. The exhibition shows the influence of Islamic art on the production of jewelry and precious objects by the famous House of Haute Joaillerie, from the early 20th century to the present day.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, also known as the MAD, presents a sublime exhibition entitled"Cartier and the Arts of Islam.Aux sources de la modernité", on view from October 21, 2021 to February 20, 2022. An exhibition co-produced by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and the Dallas Museum of Art, with the exceptional collaboration of the Musée du Louvre and the support of Maison Cartier.

Visitors will discover the influences of Islamic art on the production of jewelry and precious objects by the House of fine jewelry, from the early 20th centuryto the present day. The exhibition focuses on the Parisian context of the period and the figures ofLouis and Jacques Cartier, grandsons ofthe founder, who played a significant role in the birth of a new, modernaesthetic .

Founded in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, Maison Cartier initially specialized in the sale of jewelry and objets d'art. His son Alfred took over the business in 1874, and in 1898 his eldest son Louis joined him .Cartier designed its own jewelry, while continuing to resell antique pieces. At the beginning of the 20th century,Louis Cartier was insearch of new sources of inspiration.

At that time, Paris was the Mecca of the Islamic art trade, and it was certainly through the major exhibitions organized in Paris, notably at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 1903 and then in Munich in 1910, that Louis passionately discovered these new forms that were gradually permeating French society.

Presented in 2 parts , theexhibition traces theorigins of this interest in Islamic art and architecture throughthe Parisian cultural context of the early 20th century, and explores the creative climate around the designers and their workshops, in search of their sources of inspiration.

Necklace drapery - Cartier, Paris, commissioned in 1947

The second part, in the south gallery, illustrates the repertoire of forms inspired by Islamic art from the early 20th centuryto the present day .Most of these works were presented at the first exhibitions devoted to the arts of Islam, and were certainly seen by the House's designers or known to them through the publications kept in Louis Cartier's library.

As a highlight, the central space of the nave completes the itinerary with digital devices developed with the teams of Elizabeth Diller, from the DS+R studio, designed to bring another dimension to the jewels.

For thefirst time, this exhibition offers a glimpse into thecreative process ofa major jewelry house. The wealth of the archives, the numerous drawings and the photographic collection have enabled us to rediscover the original source of many of Cartier's creations , and to understand the important impact of the discovery of Islamic art on the House at the beginning of the 20thcentury.

Why not discover these wonders and their origins?

Cartier and the Arts of Islam exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

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