Esclaves en Méditerranée, XVIIe-XVIIIe siècle

An exhibition explores a little-known history: that of Muslims and Christians enslaved on both sides of the Mediterranean for more than three centuries. It highlights the impact of this history on material cultures in Europe through a wide range of rarely exhibited works of art. Presented at the Institut du Monde Arabe on 31 May 2026 at 8:00 AM.

The exhibition Slaves in the Mediterranean: 17th–18th Century focuses in particular on the often overlooked presence and testimony 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 sheds light on the experiences and representations of those forced to work as galley slaves, servants, translators, musicians and artists’ assistants.

It presents a wide range of works: a life drawing of a Muslim slave made by Charles Le Brun, chief painter to Louis XIV; works depicting or inspired by Pietro Tacca’s monument known as the “Quattro Mori”; paintings showing the suppression of a slave revolt in Malta in 1749; an album of drawings by Fabroni depicting galley slaves at work and at rest; and other objects such as naval weapons, ship models, talismans and letters written by Muslim and Christian captives, which will be read aloud.

Finally, a contemporary artwork, Suspended in Time by the artist Kevork Mourad, offers perspectives on what has become of this history: from its obscuration after the capture of Algiers by French troops in 1830 to contemporary debates surrounding works that depicted slavery, including the Quattro Mori.