Slavery in the Modern Mediterranean. 17th-18th Centuries

For over three hundred years, the Mediterranean was the stage of a shared and tragic destiny: that of thousands of men and women, Christians and Muslims alike, captured and enslaved on both shores. The Institut du Monde Arabe sheds light on this little-known reality of the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries through an exceptional collection. The event brings together striking works of art and everyday objects, rarely shown to the public, which testify to the deep imprint of this slavery on the material culture in Europe. This unprecedented itinerary allows one to understand how these forced circulations shaped the societies and arts of the time. This necessary historical retrospective runs from March 31st to July 19th, 2026, offering a documented view of a complex page of our shared maritime past.