CARTIER

AND

ISLAMIC

ART

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity showed the influence of Islamic Art on Maison Cartier in its design of jewelry and precious objects from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the scenography for the exhibition, which featured more than 500 pieces including jewelry and objects from Cartier, masterpieces of Islamic art, drawings, books, photographs and archival documents that trace the origins of the jeweler's interest in Oriental motifs.

In their approach to the scenography, DS+R was fascinated with the way Cartier’s designers translated two-dimensional geometric patterns inspired by Islamic references into carefully engineered artifacts that could respond to gravity and the organic surface of the body. DS+R created original animations that analyze and illustrate the unique construction and traces to Islamic origin of four key objects. The discrepancy between the human scale of the jewelry and the grand scale of the museum’s vaulted hall offered an opportunity to present the artifacts in unfamiliar ways including radical magnifications and analytical deconstructions in these videos.

Cartier and Islamic Art was on view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi from November 2023 through March 2024; the Dallas Museum of Art from May through September 2022; and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from October 2021 through February 2022.