At the origins of modernity

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs presents “Cartier and the Arts of Islam, At the sources of modernity” This exhibit is co-produced by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Dallas Museum of Art, with the exceptional collaboration of the Louvre Museum and the support of la Maison Cartier.

It shows the influence of the arts of Islam on the production of jewelry and precious objects by la Maison Cartier from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Passionate about the Orient, Louis and Jacques Cartier, grandsons of the founder, were inspired by the variety, the colors and beauty of precious stones used in traditional jewelry from in the Islamic world. They contributed to the birth of modern aesthetic, creating new shapes and geometric patterns with abstraction which would later define what is Art Deco. More than 500 pieces – jewels and objects from La Maison Cartier, masterpieces of Islamic art, drawings, books, photographs, and archival documents trace the origin of the use of oriental patterns.

The exhibition was reserved to Bienvenue en France, on a Monday morning when it was closed to the public. We were welcomed by the Director of international relations and able to discover in idyllic conditions this wonderful jewelry and other exclusive objects. Our foreign friends were left enchanted. They were given a souvenir bag from the exhibition filled with catalogs and a pass valid for one year for a return to the museum.

Our group which represented twenty different countries was delighted and greatly impressed by the taste and high standards demonstrated by la Maison Cartier.

By Virginie de Lannoy - Economy and luxury industry

Exposition Cartier et les arts de l’Islam © Bienvenue en France VdeL