Last month while in Tulsa Art Studio Tour I was flipping through Art in America magazine and was immediately greeted by this ad for a current exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art:
This was calling my name very loudly and I knew I had to get to Dallas immediately. I've been studying Islamic geometric patterns lately so this was amazing timing! Fernando, Roger, and I got up early Saturday morning for a road trip to check it out.
I was not at all prepared for how enormous this show was.
After being told the rules and guidelines by a docent, we walk into the dark room, immediately greeted by the tiaras from the magazine advertisement which I had assumed was going to be the highlight of centerpiece of the show. I was wrong. It was only the beginning.
While I expected the show to focus on Islamic art inspired Cartier pieces, it also gave a great history in Islamic art and design, independent of the Cartier works.
One of the most fascinating element was the first of four HD videos renderings that showed how a tiara’s design was directly inspired by architecture as well as the meticulous assembly steps of the jewelry.
Notice the photo on the left and how the arches of the courtyard are imitated in the tiara’s design.
Right when I started to ask myself if all of the jewelry was going to be diamond encrusted with silver or gold, I turned a corner and saw all of the color including these pieces that were gold, blue, and green. There was a whole case of this color combination which was timely because I’d just finished my first piece using the same color combo a week ago. (See the last image below.)
The example below was towards the end showing a North African necklace and the Cartier set that was inspired by it to the right.
I saw later on that Fernando had photos of things I didn’t noticed and vice versa, so perhaps it takes 2-3 trips to actually take it all in. There were hundreds of items there.
Of course, a well enjoyed museum visit isn’t complete without me buying the book.
I wish I could’ve spent more time at the DMA but it was the first museum of three we visited within our short, 6 hour window that day. I want to go back. Perhaps a day with less of a crowd and when I’ll have more time to read the histories of each piece. I was inspired and look forward to seeing how my work changes after this experience.
If you’re in Dallas in the next few months, check it out. You have a few months left. You can find more details about the show by clicking here.
