The Lexicon of Cartier

The Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity, the exhibition that enchanted Paris, makes its US debut at the DMA-Dallas Art Museum

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art. Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art. Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith

The extraordinary collections inspired by the Islamic aesthetic of a brand synonymous with exclusivity and refinement are told in the exhibition co-organised by the Dallas Art Museum and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre.
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity is an immersive and experiential journey into the Maison’s universe: over 400 objects, including fine jewellery creations, luxury accessories, historical photographs and sketches dialogue with precious works of Islamic art in which Louis Cartier’s collection stands out, reconstructed for the first time after almost 80 years.

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art. Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith

Objects wrapped in a mise en scène in which interactive technologies transport the visitor inside conceptual notebooks and sketchbooks from the Cartier Archives, in an imaginative journey of the entire creative process. Conceived by award-winning architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the “travelling” exhibition, after having enchanted the French capital, transforms the Dallas Art Museum – the only stop in North America – into a sublime treasure chest.

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art. Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith

Iconic works from international museums and collections are thus explored with optical juxtapositions, highlighting the inspirational details drawn from the forms and techniques of Islamic art, its architecture, jewellery and materials from India, Iran and Arab countries translated into a modern language: the Cartier lexicon.

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art. Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith

“For more than a century, Cartier and its designers,” explains Agustín Arteaga, Eugene McDermott Director at DMA, “have recognised and celebrated the intrinsic beauty and symbolic values found in Islamic art and architecture, weaving similar elements into their creations. Geometric shapes such as polygons and stars or naturalistic ones including vines, palms and animals give life to Art Deco-style jewellery, distinguished by a modern and timeless aesthetic. The unmistakable mark of the Maison.

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art. Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith
Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art. Photo by John Smith

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity
DMA Dallas Art Museum
May 14-September 18, 2022
www.dma.org