Cartier - Cartier, le style et l'histoire
Cartier has played a prominent role in the history of the decorative arts. Its designs, from classic pieces worthy of the "kings' jeweler" to radical Art Nouveau creations, are an intriguing testimony to the changes in taste and social codes. Cartier seduced the most elegant personalities of the 20th century with jewelry, clocks and watches, and refined yet practical objects.
Cartier, Style and History has been designed as an art history exhibition. As works of art in their own right, the jeweler's creations are shown in the context of changing usages and styles. The history of the house of Cartier from its foundation in 1847 until the 1970s is an opportunity to open the door to a laboratory of forms and enter into the workings of a sophisticated company which creates jewelry and accessories for their intrinsic beauty as well as for their social function.
Some 600 pieces of jewelry, objects, watches and clocks are teamed up with dresses, coats and accessories, furniture, paintings, advertising photographs, engravings and fashion magazines to give visitors an idea of the art and taste of the time. The exhibition aims to put Cartier's stylistic choices into perspective. Over 200 preparatory drawings, numerous archival documents (stock registers, book of ideas, drawings relating to the shop in the rue de la Paix, photographs, plaster casts…) take visitors behind the scenes.
The exhibition presents all types of objects from ceremonial jewelry to the most personal pieces: vanity cases, cigarette cases and wrist watches, three emblems of modernity. Star pieces from Cartier's history are on show, starting with a series of sumptuous diadems, illustrating the virtuosity of the craftsmen and the ambitions of a certain clientele. Underlining the importance of watch making in Cartier's identity, the exhibition also presents an ensemble of fifteen mysterious clocks.
The pieces on display come mainly from the Cartier collection, supplemented by fifty loans from public institutions (Musee des Arts decoratifs, Musee Galliera, Bibliotheque nationale de France Bibliotheque-musee de l'Opera, Bibliotheque des Arts decoratifs…) or private collections.
About twenty pieces from the Prince of Monaco's collection reveal Princess Grace's elegant taste. Visitors will also get a glimpse of the extraordinary Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress of a huge cereal empire and the most assiduous customer of Cartier New York. The exhibition presents several emblematic figures in Cartier's history: important customers, actresses or heiresses (Barbara Hutton, Marlene Dietrich, Liz Taylor, Maria Felix…), maharajahs from the Indies or trendsetters from various periods who left their mark on history (Daisy Fellowes, Mona Bismarck, the Duchess of Windsor…).
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