دیاسپورا و رنگ
چکیده رنگ به عنوان یکی از بنیادیترین عناصر زبان بصری، همواره نقشی کلیدی در بازنمایی هویتهای فرهنگی داشته است. در هنر دیاسپورا، رنگ نه تنها عنصری زیباییشناختی، که نشانهای…
Iranian Masterpieces from the Louvre Head to Washington
For the first time, 26 masterpieces from the Louvre’s Islamic Art collection are traveling to the United States. The exhibition, titled “From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art,” opens on September 26, 2026, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., and runs through January 18, 2027.
Among the highlights are notable Iranian works. A monumental oil portrait of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, created in Tehran, is featured, a work that was presented as a diplomatic gift to Napoleon, reflecting the artistic and political exchanges between Iran and Europe in the early 19th century.
Two jewel-embedded ivory pen cases, linked to the Persian court of Shah Abbas I, are also on display. These exquisite objects were later acquired by Louis Cartier and are said to have inspired some of his iconic jewelry designs, bridging the worlds of Persian craftsmanship and European high jewelry.
The exhibition traces the journeys of these works from their places of origin to the Louvre, through royal courts, private collections, and diplomatic gifts. As curator Simon Rettig notes: “Objects seldom are considered masterpieces when they are made originally. It’s through time that they become masterpieces” (Smithsonian Magazine, 2026).