History In The Making: Van Cleef & Arpels Exhibit 100 Years Of Jewellery
Renowned jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels brings its Time, Nature, Love exhibition to Riyadh for an impressive display of some of its finest and most famous pieces
To walk through the doors of the Van Cleef & Arpels: Time, Nature, Love exhibition inside the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh is to be transported into a world of artistry, craftsmanship and daring. The exhibit is no mere chronological rehashing of the brand’s almost 100 years of excellence in the world of high jewellery, but rather an invitation to visitors to discover the deeper meaning behind the wide array of pieces on display. Creations that elegantly point to the house’s fundamental desire to endlessly challenge itself to be both innovative and inspirational.
This message is beautifully captured not just in the thoughtful selection of the over 280 pieces in the collection, which were curated by Alba Cappellieri, Professor of Jewelry Design at Milan Polytechnic University and President of the Milano Fashion Institute, but in the show’s subtle and unique mise en scène. An impressive scenography crafted out of light and shadows, that uses an emotive colour palette and spacial fluidity to usher visitors along a series of rooms designed to celebrate different aspects of the brand’s heritage through the notions of time, nature and love.
“All the colour is coming from the light, only light. We start with light effects, with a sunrise in the first room and then we go through a series of thematic colours that move with the content,” explains Johanna Grawunder, the designer and artist who created the exhibition’s striking look. This colour and light play extends to unique contemporary art pieces created for the exhibition, clever mirror effects that result in echoing optical illusions and display cases that use high-tech glass that slowly changes from opaque to transparent for those curious enough to linger in front of them to see the big reveal of the shimmering jewels hidden behind it.
The show includes a number of stop-in-your-tracks pieces like a lion’s head gold choker owned by Elizabeth Taylor, a diamond tiara worn by Grace Kelly and a selection of the house’s iconic Zip necklaces, the design for which Van Cleef & Arpels patented years before they were even able to execute it. Conceived in the 1930s, the necklace, which opens and closes via a functioning bejewelled zipper neckline, was only mastered by the house in the 1950s. Not to mention the close to a hundred other archival pieces, such as gouaché jewellery designs, archival documents and annotated sketches that pepper the exhibition, giving it an added layer of insight.
But what is perhaps even more notable about the pieces on display in this first-of-its-kind exhibition is the inclusion of close to 30 items that had never been shown before by the jewellery house. This includes elegant parures borrowed from regional clients expressly for the show as well as a number of striking one-of-a-kind designs that underlined just how profoundly the house’s heritage is linked to the region. Also of note in the exhibit is the 1929 emerald cabochon-tipped diamond necklace that was worn by Princess Fawzia of Egypt and the mesmerising Collaret necklace that was created for Queen Nazli to mark the wedding of her daughter to the Shah of Iran. Two pieces that are striking both for their beauty and also for how surprisingly modern they still look.
The inclusive nature of the exhibition even extends to its visitors. The space has been designed with some jewellery displays placed at the eye level of children or those confined to a wheelchair as well as a number of three-dimensional tactile display stands that present key pieces in the collection so that those who are visually impaired can also have a way to appreciate the jewels. Not to mention the comprehensive app that Van Cleef & Arpels created as an accompaniment to visitors wanting to learn more about the history of each individual piece.
Finally, the knowledge gained from a visit to the exhibition is just the first layer of learning on offer from Van Cleef & Arpels throughout the duration of the show. The house wanted to take the message of transmission and education even further and has worked hand in hand with the National Museum of Saudi Arabia to create a wide-ranging programme of talks, workshops and other cultural activities that will be led by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, which is supported by Van Cleef & Arpels.
“The dialogue for us is also about putting a light on the local traditions and local designers,” says Nicolas Bos, CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels. “The long-term plan is to, of course, include local and regional collections, designers, traditions and crafts into the programme to really create a two-way conversation.”
After a visit to Van Cleef & Arpels: Time, Nature, Love, guests come away with so much more than just a charming afternoon spent looking at beautiful objects. The show is a celebration of visual storytelling, of the pursuit of excellence and ultimately of the importance of having a connection to nature and to love in our lives, because time waits for no man.
The free exhibition is open to the public from Thursday, January 19th to Saturday, April 15th, 2023.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s February 2023 Issue