Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition explores Islamic art’s influence on Cartier’s creations

A new exhibit titled ‘Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design’, exploring the influence of Islamic art on the French jewellery brand, opened at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

The exhibit will go on until Sunday March 24, 2024.

The Cartier exhibition showcases the influences of the Islamic arts on its designs, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

The exhibit features over 400 works including jewellery and precious objects, Islamic art, drawings, textiles and photographs that will be complemented by digital projections.

Years ago, Cartier’s archives revealed that Louis Cartier, the grandson of the luxury brand’s founder, had a sizable library dedicated to books about Islamic art, according to The National. Accompanying those were sketches with references to chests, pen holders and vessels from the Islamic world.

Exhibition curators Judith Henon-Raynaud and Évelyne Possémé, said, “This exhibition is the result of almost five years of research in archives, drawings and photographs to discover the links between Cartier creations and Islamic art, and to identify the sources of inspiration. The result is a true immersion into the creative process and a journey through the sources that inspired some of the most innovative pieces in French jewellery.”

The exhibition is co-organised by Louvre Abu Dhabi, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée du Louvre and France Muséums, with the support of Maison Cartier.