Paris, Grand Palais

December 4, 2013 – February 16, 2014

Cartier. Le style et l’histoire, presented in the prestigious Salon d’Honneur room of the Grand Palais, is the first exhibition of this scale to be held in Paris since the Cartier retrospective at the Petit Palais in 1989. Commissioned by the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais, the exhibition explores Cartier's role in the history of style and decorative arts, from the founding of the Maison in 1847 to the mid-1970s.
The exhibition features more than 600 extraordinary pieces, presented side-by-side for the first time. Most of the pieces belong to the Cartier Collection, or have been loaned by private parties, institutions and museum collections from France and around the world. Together, these pieces are a testament to the rich and intricate history of the Jeweler to Kings and the King of Jewelers.
Cartier's creative genius and artistic flair are presented in a new light under the innovative curatorship of Laurent Salomé, Curating Director of RMN, and his Assistant Director Laure Dalon. Salomé and Dalon approached the exhibition as an art history project, thoughtfully selecting each piece of jewelry, precious accessories, and timepieces for display.
The exhibit's carefully curated collection of jewelry, bejeweled accessories and timepieces is complemented by more than 300 documents from the Cartier archives: notebooks, drawings, order books, inventories, plaster casts, autochromes and photographs that provide insight into the jeweler's creative process.
Spanning several decades of style, the story and legacy of Cartier is revealed through inspirational imagery and iconic figures in this ephemeral setting.