Cartier And The Arts Of Islam: A Dazzling Exhibition At The Musée Des Arts Décoratifs In Paris
Attention gem and jewelry lovers: there are only a few weeks left to discover the Cartier and the Arts of Islam exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. This exhibition traces the fascination of Louis and Jacques Cartier for the Orientalist wave and tells the genesis of the style of the famous jewelry house.
Exceptional works and jewels
The success of the Cartier and the Arts of Islam exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs continues unabated. More than 100,000 visitors have already come to admire the works and jewelry gathered for the occasion at the MAD in Paris.
It must be said that this exhibition presents some 500 exceptional works and jewelry that had, for the most part, never been presented to the general public.
These dazzling pieces come from the Cartier collection and private collections.
A scientific approach
The result of three years of research by the two curators, Évelyne Possémé and Judith Henon-Raynaud, this exhibition demonstrates that the jewelers of the House of Cartier were directly inspired by pieces brought back from the Orient.
This scientific research work was made possible thanks to the archives of the House of Cartier, which trace the jeweler's creations over 170 years...
In the end, the exhibition 'Cartier and the Arts of Islam' does not simply juxtapose the jewels and the different works presented, but tells the story of the exchange that took place between the arts of Islam and the creations of the famous jeweler.
In particular, the influence of Islam helped bring the house of Cartier into modernity, initiating the beginnings of the Art Deco style.
The style of the house of Cartier prefigured the Art Deco movement and made the house a pioneer, offering jewelry pieces whose shapes and colors were revolutionary for the time.
An inspiration from the East
In the early 20th century, the sons of Alfred Cartier, the founder of the jewelry house, became fascinated with Oriental art. At this time, Paris became the hub of the Islamic art trade and artists were greatly influenced by the 'Persian fashion'.
In 1910, Louis Cartier attended an exhibition of thousands of pieces of Islamic art in Munich.
The following year, his brother Jacques Cartier made his first trip to India to attend the ceremony in which King George V and Queen Mary were proclaimed Emperor and Empress of India.
From then on, we see that the designs used by the jewelry house become more geometric and abstract, due to the Cartier family's fascination with Eastern civilizations.
For example, the jeweler imagined an oriental diamond headband with a chevron pattern inspired by the facade of the Mshattâ Palace in Jordan and sautoirs inspired by Iranian paintings.
Color is another essential contribution of this oriental influence, with unprecedented combinations of hues and the famous Tutti Frutti style that will become iconic to the house of Cartier.
America fell under the spell of these colorful jewels and Coco Chanel herself was crazy about them! As for the English clientele, they love everything that comes from their immense empire.
Practical information
The Cartier and the Arts of Islam exhibition runs until February 22, 2022 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
Address
Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 PARIS
Schedules
Open every day except Monday.
Open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday : from 11am to 6pm
Nocturne on Thursday until 21h
Open on Saturday and Sunday: from 11am to 8pm
Prices
Full price : 14 €
Reduced rate: 10 € (for people buying their ticket with vacation or culture vouchers or in the framework of partnerships).
Free for people under 26 years old
