Florae Exhibition Paris

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Florae Exhibition Paris - Van Cleef & Arpels
Take a dreamlike stroll through Van Cleef & Arpels' new Parisian exhibition

WorldTempus joined Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris recently for the opening of the Maison’s Florae Exhibition which is being held at the Hotel d’Evreux on Place Vendôme until November 14th 2021.

Florae Exhibition Paris

Presenting jewelry in an exhibition format is always a challenge due to the relatively small size of the creations and their need to be securely encased inside glass cabinets. So, how to make such an exhibition exciting is always a dilemma, but it is one that Van Cleef & Arpels has found the perfect solution to.

Florae Exhibition Paris

In its new Florae exhibition, the Parisian Maison has created so much more than a jewelry display, it has put together a multimedia art installation that offers visitors an immersive experience into the world of jewelry, flowers and art.

Van Cleef & Arpels called upon Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa to create an artistic garden around its jewelry. Ninagawa’s photos capture the beauty of flowers in full bloom and the emotions she feels when observing them. She loves to focus on the colors of nature, ones that we often don’t pay much attention to in our daily lives, and brings them to the forefront of our minds in photographs that are explosions of color. She also loves to capture the most beautiful moments of a flower’s bloom, which is a similar artistic expression to that of Van Cleef & Arpels’ floral jewelry creations.

Florae Exhibition Paris

The exhibition includes 100 pieces from both Van Cleef & Arpels’ patrimony and contemporary collections that have been inspired by flowers. Nicolas Bos, CEO of the brand, explains how important flowers are to the Maison: “Flowers are a permanent source of inspiration for artists and creators in all fields, probably since the very appearance of art itself, and there is this willingness, which is quite beautiful, to capture something ephemeral, sometimes lasting for just a few minutes or a few days.

Florae Exhibition Paris

 Art is a way to make this moment eternal, through photography, painting and also jewelry where we work with the most eternal materials – gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies – which will last forever,” he continues. “There is this dream, this willingness to give eternal life to flowers and elements of nature and to capture that moment of beauty. So, flowers have been a permanent source of inspiration in the creative arts and in jewelry, especially for Van Cleef & Arpels in the 20th century, when it developed a specific addiction to flowers because this is really what fascinated the designers and the craftsmen in this house, much more than the geometry or the formalness that you can find in jewelry. There is this feeling of movement, freshness, and symmetry of color and that is why it became a signature.”

Florae Exhibition Paris

The Maison also enlisted the help of Tsuyoshi Tane from Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects to design the decor of the exhibition that is separated into three parts – naturalist, bouquets, and stylized creations – and which creates a labyrinth of magic and color where the visitor can lose a sense of scale with giant flowers that unfurl on glass walls that light up.

Florae Exhibition Paris

Working with artists is not new for Van Cleef & Arpels; the Maison has a strong tradition of working with creative people from different domains to create dialogues and diverse artistic visions, bringing a new angle to its jewelry creations and opening new doors to different audiences.

The exhibition is open until November 14th and is free. To visit, book tickets online at vancleefarpels.com to ensure a place.

Florae Exhibition Paris

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Nicolas Bos