LAST CHANCE The Poetry of Birds

Following previous editions of this exhibition in Paris and Tokyo, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts aims to offer a dialogue between 19th and 20th-century Western jewellery and Islamic arts, with poetry as the common thread. Jewels, precious objects, and gouaché drawings depicting birds from noted jewellers such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Buccellati, Boucheron, Mellerio, Falize, Fabergé, Boivin, Mauboussin, Marchak, Chaumet, and JAR will be showcased alongside a selection of Middle Eastern works of art, including carpets, ceramics, metalware, and miniatures mainly notably on loan from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and Dubai Museums.

Emirati artist Faisal Al Rais’s contemporary photography, showcasing the beauty and profound symbolism of birds, will also make its public debut as part of the show. Freely inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s The Conference of the Birds (circa 1117), the exhibition is conceived as a poetic experience beginning with poems from renowned poets from the region, followed by a display of bejewelled bird species including falcons, and culminating in an aviary of imaginary birds by French jeweller Pierre Sterlé (1905-1978).

“Birds have long held a sacred place in the cultures of the Middle East — as symbols of freedom, renewal, and the human spirit,” said Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton, L’ÉCOLE Senior Exhibition Contents Project Manager. “We wanted to honour that tradition while showcasing how these symbols echo across time and continents through art, poetry, and jewellery. This exhibition is not just about beauty, but about the stories and meanings behind it — how the smallest motif can carry centuries of memory, emotion, and craftsmanship.”