It is one of the cultural events of this fall: 18 exhibitions organized in as many French cities (Marseille, Toulouse, Rouen, Nancy, Dijon …) around the plurality of Islamic arts through the centuries. In Nantes, the Passage Sainte-Croix takes part in this operation headed by the Louvre museum entitled “The arts of Islam, a past for a present”. Located in the Bouffay district, this
cultural place created by the diocese de Nantes gives to discover since Saturday
ten exceptional pieces from the collections of the Dobrée museum,
regional contemporary art fund (Frac), the National Library of France, the Manufacture de Sèvre and the Louvre.
In particular, we can see an Ottoman saber chiseled with gold, the scabbard of which is covered with precious stones, but also a Persian shield, a drum, a portable pencil case, an ivory box, leaves from a Mamluk Koran from the end of the 20th century. 14th century, Turkish coffee cups… A contemporary animated film, constructed from 3,000 intertwining black on white drawings, is also presented.
“A bulwark and a lever to transmit”
These works are “the reflection of the circulation of ideas and men but also of the plural heritage of French heritage”, explains the exhibition. “In the face of religious fanaticism, culture must relentlessly be a bulwark and a lever to transmit, open up to others, give back the keys to understanding crossed pasts in order to build a shared future. “
Free, the exhibition is open until March 19, 2022. Conferences and workshops will enrich it over the coming weeks.
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