AffinitiesIslamic Art Wonders in the Department of Decorative Arts

Affinities are bonds of both kinship and closeness – a fitting term to evoke the relationship between the Departments of Islamic Art and of the Decorative Arts. These works have not only circulated between East and West since the Middle Ages; their techniques and decoration have served as sources of inspiration for European decorative arts. For over a century, Islamic art was displayed in the Department of Decorative Arts – a dialogue we are proposing to rekindle today by exploring three subjects: light, colour and sculpture.

Inviting visitors to wander through the decorative arts galleries, Affinities weaves a tale of great technical and aesthetic innovations in the Islamic world, as well as the fascination they engendered in Europe and in French art collections. Some 50 objects from the Department of Islamic Art, made of a wide range of materials, dating from the 9th to the 17th century and hailing from all regions of the Islamic world, allows visitors to explore the enchantment created by materials and the wonder elicited by objects in the region. They are in fact linked to wonders – ‘Aja’īb in Arabic, designating the wonders of nature and of the visual arts.

This exhibition is taking place in the context of the Department of Islamic Art closing for refurbishment, enabling the public to access some of the most important pieces of the Islamic art collection.

Exhibition Curators

Annabelle Collinet, Researcher and Collection Manager, Department of Islamic Art

Philippe Malgouyres, Senior Heritage Curator, Department of Decorative Arts