Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design

This exhibition highlights the influence of the Islamic arts on design at the luxury goods brand from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Co-curated by Évelyne Possémé, Former Chief Curator of Ancient and Modern Jewellery at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and Judith Hénon-Raynaud, Curator and Deputy Director of the Department of Islamic Art at the Musée du Louvre, the exhibition will present more than 500 pieces ranging from jewellery and Islamic art to drawings, books, photographs, and archival documents.

This kind of collaboration between a reputable institution and a commercial brand is often fraught with danger, but in this case it seems a more natural fit. Cartier, which was founded in 1847, created an archive department 50 years ago (it was the first jewellery house to do that) and began collecting its own antique designs ten years later; there’s some depth to its involvement.

The present exhibition is based on one that was initially displayed in 2022 at Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Dallas Museum of Art. A big hit in both Paris and Texas, it majored on the influences of Louis Cartier – a noted collector of Persian and Indian paintings, manuscripts, and other objects – and his younger brother Jacques, a frequent traveler to India and Bahrain.

The 2022 show did a great job of drawing out the variety of influences that were in the air at the time of some of Cartier’s most iconic creations, especially from the 1920s and 1930s; the arts and architecture of the Islamic world are cleverly diagrammed and dissected to show how they relate to iconic Cartier pieces.

Much of the applause for that show went to its designer, Liz Diller of the hip architectural practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro, who cleverly used visual tricks, digital video, and glass display cases to draw the viewer through the space. The same scenography is being used in Abu Dhabi, which bodes well.

To 24 March.