Here is the first exhibition to explore an unknown history: that of Muslims and Christians reduced to slavery on both sides of the Mediterranean, for more than three centuries. Discover the impact of this history on material cultures in Europe through a wide range of stunning and rarely exhibited works of art.
The exhibition Slaves in the Modern Mediterranean. 17th-18th Centuries focuses in particular on the presence and often forgotten testimonies of North Africans and some West Africans enslaved in Europe. Centered on the ports of France, Italy, and the island of Malta from the 17th century to the 1830s, it highlights the experiences and representations of these human beings forced to work as galley slaves, servants, translators, musicians, and artists' assistants. It reveals the profound impact of this history on material cultures in Europe by presenting a wide range of stunning and rarely exhibited works of art: a life drawing of a Muslim slave made by Louis XIV's chief painter, Charles Lebrun; works of art representing or inspired by Pietro Tacca's iconic monument known as the "Quattro Mori"; paintings depicting the suppression of a slave revolt in Malta in 1749; an exceptional album of drawings by Fabroni showing galley slaves at work and at rest; and other remarkable objects such as maritime weapons, ship sculptures, talismans, and letters written by Muslim and Christian captives, which will be read aloud. Finally, a contemporary artwork will open perspectives on what has become of this long history: from its oblivion after the capture of Algiers by French troops in 1830 to contemporary debates about works of art that have represented slavery, including the Quattro Mori.
Source: paris.fr — photo: Institut du Monde Arabe