Louvre Islamic Art Masterpieces Come to the Smithsonian
11Aug. 7, 2026
The Musée duLouvrein Paris has loaned twenty-six artworks from itsIslamic artcollection to theSmithsonianInstitution’s exhibition “From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art,” which runs from September 26 through January 18, 2027. This marks the first time these works will be on view in the U.S., and theNational Museum of Asian Art(NMAA) in Washington D.C. is the exhibition’s only American stop.
The objects include paintings, metalwork, jade, ceramics, glass, and architectural elements from the seventh to nineteenth centuries created in Islamic regions spanning modern-day Spain to India.
“Desired for their spectacular artistry and distinct craftsmanship, these objects of the Islamic world were enjoyed by a select few until they entered the Louvre,” Chase F. Robinson, NMAA director, said in a press release. “Now, these once-exclusive objects are accessible to all as masterpieces. Through this exhibition, we examine how masterpieces are shaped not only by their makers, but also by the public that celebrates them.”
The treasures include the “Baptistery of Saint Louis,” a brass basin inlaid with silver and gold from fourteenth-century Syria and Egypt (later used in France to baptize King Louis XIII) and two jewel-embedded ivory pen cases thought to be commissioned by the seventeenth-century Mughal emperor Jahangir. In 1912, the pen cases were acquired by Louis Cartier as reference pieces for his jewelry designs.
The exhibition, which highlights long-standing ties between the two institutions, is co-curated by Souraya Noujaim, director of the Islamic art department at the Musée du Louvre, and Simon Rettig, associate curator for the arts of the Islamic world at the National Museum of Asian Art.