NEWSROOM

Exhibition “Van Cleef & Arpels, couture inspiration” Place Vendôme, Paris

10 January 2022

Necklace, 1955. Platinum, yellow gold, diamonds, aquamarines. Van Cleef & Arpels Collection.

Long time linked to the innovations of Haute Couture, Van Cleef & Arpels' jewelry creations are on display from January 7th to June 14th, 2022, in a new exhibition at the 20, Place Vendôme boutique, Paris. Within the Heritage Gallery, 42 historical pieces – including 9 presented for the first time in Paris – revisit the creative links forged by the Maison with the world of couture throughout the 20th century.

 

As a tribute to the city where the Maison was born, Van Cleef & Arpels’ collections are inspired by the world of couture. It has never ceased to reinterpret the codes of this art, inventively combining it with High Jewelry. Brooches, devants de corsages, combs, and "cannetille" gold motifs entwined like cords are all evidence of this exchange, asserting themselves through exclusive pieces that also celebrate the uniqueness of the wearer.

 

Admire the Ludo mesh, a soft and lightweight gold fabric with a geometric pattern imagined in 1934, that can adorn the wrist, finger or ears like a belt that accentuates the waist.

 

Another creation invented in 1933, the Minaudière, a delicate vanity-case, became an essential for elegant women thanks to its multiple compartments and integrated accessories. Within the exhibition, an all-black lacquered Minaudière reveals its compartments beneath a lid fastened with three diamond scrolls. Evoking a ribbon, they illustrate Van Cleef & Arpels' signature combination of refinement and functionality.

 

For this exhibition, the Maison is once again calling on Céline and Géraud. The young artists thus imagined an immersive décor for the displays, where elegant velour fabrics highlight the beauty of the jewelry creations.