Louvre’s Islamic Art Wing attempts to conciliate Political Tensions

Andreea Saioc,

Editor (Art)

 

PARIS – Following a sustained effort of 10 years and a cost of approximately 130 million euro, the famous Louvre inaugurated its Islamic Art wing, the museum’s most significant addendum since I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid in 1989 and “Europe’s newest and most politically charged treasure house”, as termed by BBC presenter Matthew Sweet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The External Structure                                                                         Enterance to the Gallery

 

Museum director Henri Loyrette described the integration of the gallery in the already existing space as ‘an architectural challenge’, and “an elegant compromise had to be found between the neoclassicism of the 17^th century courtyard and an evocation of the Middle East”. The exhibition was lastly positioned under a golden aluminium roof that was subtly perforated so as to create a stream of light reminding of “a flying carped, a huge tent, a luminous veil or simply golden clouds”, as described by Italian architect Mario Bellini.

The gallery displays a variety of objects d’art from different historical epochs ranging from 632 A.D. to 1800 that show the “radiant face of a civilization”, in the words of museum director Henri Loyrette.  The collection features 18,000 astounding artifacts from a geographical area expanding from Europe to India; Iranian miniature illustrations from the Thousand and One Nights, Mogul-era carpets originated in India, as well as a silver and gold basin dating from 1330 to 1340, which was used for the baptism of King Louis XIII of France. Sophie Makariou, the director of the Islamic Art Department, presented an alabaster-like vase from Syria, engraved with Islamic calligraphy, as “the oldest known love letter from the Islamic world” and one of the gallery’s most significant pieces. Makariou displays another one of the exhibition’s highlights, an elaborately sculpted ivory box created for a young prince of the house of Cordoba in 968.

However, Brown goes on to declare that in addition to its uncontested artistic value, “the gallery is a statement of France’s determination to remain engaged with the Arab World and the Middle East”. Architect, writer and commentator on the Middle East Karl Sharro states that there was a certain sense “someone is on a mission to explain something to us. I think there are works of art from our predecessors, [and] we should look with more interest in their intrinsic artistic value rather than the instrumental political use they might be put to.”

However, the political dimension of the event cannot be ignored and the inauguration of Louvre’s Islamic Art wing must be considered within its general context. “It was the best of timing, it was the worst of timing”, said BBC presenter Matthew Sweet on the BBC shows Night Waves. Sweet considers the conflicts between the Islamic world and the West to be a pertinent evidence of Samuel Huntington’s ominous statement about a 21th century ‘defined by a clash of civilizations’.

The general atmosphere in France, which is the permanent residence for no less than four million Muslims, has recently been one of constant tension.  In the troubled atmosphere caused by recent laws banning Muslim women’s use of full veils . Charlie Hebdo’s – a French satirical newspaper- presentation of the Prophet Muhammad in highly offensive pornographic poses as well as the American amateur film ‘The Innocence of Muslims’ resulted in a violent series of demonstrations.

In light of these events, the opening of the Islamic wing also represented “a political gesture in the service of respect for peace” according to president Francois Hollande who also declared that the “the best weapons for fighting fanaticism that claims to be coming from Islam are found in Islam itself”. At the inauguration, the president of Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan accompanied Hollande.

The Louvre’s Islamic Art wing was not the only one of its kind to be recently inaugurated; its predecessor was a similar gallery opened by the Metropolitan Museum of New York, termed in a peculiarly cautious manner, The Gallery for the Art of the Arab Lands Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Africa. “That is a somewhat tortuous way to avoid mentioning Islam” remarks Karl Sharro. Considering that one of the main aspirations of ‘some of the donors of this particular gallery…is reclaiming the word Islam, then you shouldn’t be afraid of actually saying it, as long as you can explain the proper context for that’ he continues.

The largest individual donor, Prince al-Waleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, with a contribution of $21 million, says, “after 9/11 events, all Arabs and Muslims have a duty and responsibility to…tell the West about real Muslims, about real Islam and how peaceful our religion is.”  He hopes that the Islamic wing “will assist in the understanding of the true meaning of Islam, a religion of humanity, forgiveness and acceptance of other cultures.”