The Mosque and Museum

The Louvre Museum has nearly 20,000 works of art from the Islamic world representing 12 centuries of Islamic history and art from a territory that stretches from Spain to India. Religious objects, particularly those from mosques or depicting them, account for a large part of the collection. The focus of this presentation is twofold. First, I will attempt to retell the stories that led these works from the mosque one day to the Louvre. Then I will talk about how these objects are presented to the millions of visitors from all cultures and religions to help them better understand and appreciate these works and their associated cultures.