Legends

The story behind the book An Exercise in Style

The story behind An Exercise in Style is the tale of two time-honored Maisons coming together:
Van Cleef & Arpels, virtuoso of gold and precious stones, and Gallimard, crafter of words.

To express the essence of Van Cleef & Arpels, twenty-five words dear to the Maison were carefully chosen, defined, presented with a lyrical flair, and illustrated through historic documents and pieces. Each word is also interpreted by an inspired contributor: a writer, poet, designer or choreographer. Original material by writers Pierre Assouline, Camille Laurens, Marie Modiano and André Welter harmonizes with mathematician Laurent Derobert’s equation of luck, as well as a photograph by Valérie Belin. The work as a whole, an ode to beauty and the poetry of creation, celebrates the power of imagination.