New exhibition at London’s Design Museum – The Art of Movement, Van Cleef and Arpels
The Design Museum announces an exciting new exhibition, The Art of Movement, Van Cleef & Arpels, from 23 September to 20 October 2022.
The Art of Movement is part of a 2022 celebration in London that began with the French jewellery brand’s Dance Reflections Festival in March and will follow on from its participation at the Masterpiece Fair in June and July.
The Art of Movement features nearly 100 creations from the Van Cleef & Arpels archive collection, plus numerous historical documents, gouache illustrations and lender masterpieces. It is an extensive showcase that is the first of its kind in the UK.
Van Cleef & Arpels is famed for its artistry, craftsmanship and pieces of high jewellery that impart movement into precious materials. This exhibition displays emblematic pieces alongside new acquisitions and historical pieces that reflect lifestyles of days gone by. Together they show the evolution and reflection of French elegance over the decades since the Maison was founded in 1906.
Van Cleef & Arpels has constantly blended the excellence of its high jewellery savoir-faire with a great delicacy of vision – in order to imbue the most precious materials with lightness and dynamism.
The visitor’s journey is divided into four themes: Nature Alive, Elegance, Dance and Abstract Movements. Each highlights a facet of movement explored by the Maison since its foundation in 1906.
To display this rare set of creations, the scenography echoes the theme of movement. To welcome visitors at the entrance, a floating matte ribbon takes the shape of an ethereal flower and unfolds to guide visitors on their journey throughout the exhibition. This shape is inspired by the Silhouette Flower clip, an emblematic design imagined by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1930s.
The four themes explored by the Maison are given pride of place thanks to a unique setting: inspired by the world of couture, each showcase is entirely made of pleated fabric and assembled on a vertical floor-to-ceiling support. Like abstract paintings, it attracts the eye and kindles a thoughtful dialogue with the jewels, the textile folds and curves echoing the designs of the pieces.
Nicolas Bos President & CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, said,
“Whether it is artistic, mechanical or first dreamed before being drawn and masterly rendered in precious materials, movement has always captivated and still fascinates Van Cleef & Arpels.
Capturing the ephemeral has become one of the Maison’s ultimate quests throughout its history. Such a tradition is today demonstrated for the first time in Great Britain in collaboration with the Design Museum”.
