Birds have long inspired artists to chase the impossible. Their flight, color, and song have found their way into paintings, poetry, and jewelry. It’s this fascination that comes vividly to life at L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts, where the new exhibition ‘Poetry of Birds’ explores how these creatures have shaped artistic expression across centuries.
Hosted in collaboration with Dubai Design District, the exhibition brings together more than 150 exceptional works from over twenty international lenders. The result is a visual conversation between cultures that bridges 19th and 20th-century Western jewelry and Islamic art, bound together by a shared poetic language of wings, flight, and transformation.
The exhibition unfolds in four chapters, each revealing a different aspect of the bird’s symbolism. It opens with The Conversation of Birds, inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s 12th-century Persian poem, where birds embark on a spiritual quest. The journey continues through showcases arranged by species — falcons, peacocks, parrots, and owls — each section exploring their symbolic power, from majesty to wisdom. Feathers take center stage next, celebrated as emblems of spirituality and sovereignty, before the exhibition culminates in a dazzling finale: an “aviary” of imagined birds created by the French jeweler Pierre Sterlé.
On display are masterpieces from the world’s most revered jewelry houses. Van Cleef & Arpels’ 1927 Swallow Clip captures motion in diamonds and platinum, while Cartier’s 1948 Bird of Paradise brooch radiates with color and vitality. A delicate Peacock nécessaire from 1951, also by Van Cleef & Arpels, gleams under the lights as a miniature marvel of enamel, gemstones, and goldwork. Buccellati, Falize, Fabergé, Boivin, Marchak, and JAR all lend their craftsmanship to this grand aviary of artistry.
Equally striking are the historical and regional pieces that root the exhibition in the Middle East’s cultural heritage. From the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation come intricate metalworks, ceramics, and calligraphy artworks that depict birds not as ornaments but as carriers of meaning and faith. A terracotta bird from 11th-century Herat offers a tangible link to the past, while Emirati film director Abdullah Al Kaabi and photographer Faisal Alrais contribute contemporary perspectives. Alrais’s photographic studies of native bird species offer an insight into the beauty and symbolism of flight in the desert landscape.
Designed as a sensory experience, the scenography moves from earthy tones to deep greens and luminous blues, echoing the path of a bird in flight. The effect is quietly cinematic as jewels shimmer against soft light as if caught mid-motion, and every turn reveals a new story shaped by craft, culture, and imagination.
Founded with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels, L’ÉCOLE has become a hub for jewelry education and cultural exchange. True to its mission, ‘Poetry of Birds’ extends beyond display. Visitors can join talks, guided tours, and workshops that explore connections between art, nature, and craftsmanship. All proceeds from these public programs support Dubai Cares’ youth education initiatives.
‘Poetry of Birds’ runs until April 25, 2026, at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts in Dubai Design District. It’s a place where creativity quite literally takes flight and where every gem, feather, and carving reminds us that beauty, like a bird, exists to move.
