Pure Décors? Islamic Masterpieces from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Musée des Arts Décoratifs


In conjunction with the Musée du Louvre, Paris's decorative arts museum is showcasing Islamic art drawn from its own collections, pieces acquired in the late 19th and early 20th century by pioneering French collectors of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs who were eager to give what they rightly deemed to be artistic treasures all the esteem and care they deserved. These exceptional holdings, whose origins span the Islamic world from Spain to North Africa by way of Egypt, include carpets, textiles, ceramics, and miniatures – over 3,400 works in all.

The objects on view are stunning in range and quality, with a number of unique pieces unlike any other in the world. And while they were brought together in the West by Frenchmen, the reasons behind their acquisition have nothing to do with the bric-a-brac of Orientalism, which has often, paradoxically, looked down upon the object of its curiosity. Here, the "pure décors" are considered masterpieces in their own right, and powerful enough in their aesthetic intensity and variety to influence what some saw as the lagging world of Western decorative arts. A feast for the eyes, and food for thought.


October 11, 2007 through January 13, 2008
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
T. +33 (0)1 44 55 57 50
www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr