From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art

From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art brings twenty-six exceptional works from the Musée du Louvre to Washington for the first time. Spanning the seventh through nineteenth centuries and a geographic region from Spain to India, the exhibition presents objects of remarkable technical skill and artistic refinement, including a Syrian-Egyptian basin inlaid with silver figures, an enigmatic Andalusian bronze lion, and a monumental jewel-covered portrait of a Persian king.

The exhibition traces how these works moved through the hands of sultans, princes, nobles, artists, archaeologists, and collectors. Objects once reserved for elite owners acquired new meanings as they changed hands before entering the Louvre, where they are now presented as masterpieces belonging to a global public.

When: September 26, 2026–January 18, 2027

Location: East Building, Galleries 23 and 24

Venue: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection area: Arts of the Islamic World

Featured works: Highlights include the basin known as the “Baptistery of Saint Louis,” signed by Muhammad ibn al-Zayd and made in Syria or Egypt during the Mamluk dynasty around 1330–1340. The copper-alloy basin is engraved and inlaid with gold, silver, and a black compound, and bears coats of arms associated with the House of France. It entered the Louvre in 1793.

Curators: The exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Souraya Noujaim, director of the Islamic Art Department at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, and Dr. Simon Rettig, associate curator for the Arts of the Islamic World at the National Museum of Asian Art.

Accessibility: Exhibition wall and case text is available online in a format that can be resized or read aloud with a screen reader. Descriptive transcripts are also available for the exhibition’s videos, including a video tracing approximately 800 years of the Louvre’s history.

Organization: Organized jointly by the Musée du Louvre, Paris, and the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Support: Support is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; Mary and Farhad Ebrahimi; and Ronald M. Costell, M.D. and the Estate of Marsha E. Swiss. Additional support comes from The Ebrahimi Family Endowment for Persian, Arab, and Turkish Art.

Tickets: Price not available