The exhibition, presented by the Decorative Arts Museum in partnership with the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, retraces over one century of the French firm’s history since its beginnings in 1906 at 22 place Vendôme in Paris.In the Nef (Nave) of the museum over 500 pieces of jewellery and objects, as well as numerous archive documents, drawings and reviews from the 1920s, have been gathered together to collectively bear witness to the richness of its heritage.
jewelry
Boucheron’s L’Artisan du Rêve collection, Harry Winston ‘s Signature Label, Bulgari’s Serpenti, Chaumet’s Joséphine Aigrette line, Piaget ‘s Couture Précieuse line,Victoire de Castellane ‘s My Dior, Van Cleef & Arpels Palais de la Chance , La Bonne Etoile, La Nature Porte-Bonheur and Les Légendes de la Chance, Chanel’s diamond sautoir and the first Asian Jeweler Wallace Chan are the stars of Karl Lagerfeld scenario at the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires.
Every day of diamonds are bought, sold, given, exchanged – stolen! – Admired, worn, all over the world. To gain or to give a diamond is an important step that seals some fundamental moments of life: a promise of marriage, the arrival of a child, the confirmation of a connection of love, or also the personal satisfaction of gaining and possessing a stone for oneself.”
Body adornment is a universal art, practiced by Berber women covered with amulets and pendants, Indians sheathed in their bridal saris, Africans with highly codified headdresses, Geishas disappearing under their ghostly white makeup, and Maoris, their bodies sculpted with spiral tattoos.