L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, unveils an exhibition titled "Poetry of Birds" on November 6th, 2025, during Dubai Design Week. The exhibition, hosted in strategic partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), a global creative ecosystem by TECOM Group PJSC, is open to the public and runs until April 25th, 2026.
"Poetry of Birds" explores the timeless symbolism of birds in arts, poetry, and jewelry, focusing on the dialogue between 19th and 20th century Western jewelry and Islamic arts, with poetry as the common thread.
Exceptional jewels, precious objects, and gouaché drawings depicting birds from jewelers such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Boucheron, are showcased alongside Middle Eastern works of art from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and Dubai Museums. Contemporary photography from Emirati photographer Faisal Al Rais is also displayed.
The exhibition is inspired by Farid al-din Attar's Conference of the Birds and is conceived as a poetic experience, beginning with a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, followed by a bejeweled display of bird species and culminating in contemplation of an aviary of imaginary birds by French jeweler Pierre Sterlé (1905-1978).
