Bloomin’ Marvellous! ‘Florae’ Show, Paris
Exhibition News
No one quite does florals like the celebrated jewellers, Van Cleef & Arpels, writes Robin Dutt. The company’s lusciously simple and elegant settings for their flawless gems are world renowned and often feverishly collected. I remember so well, a ‘happening’ at London’s Home House, more than a decade or so ago, when the unique and chic Joan Rolls organised a series of mis-en-scenes featuring performers (ballet dancers, opera singers and statuesque models) in many of the well appointed suites, each chamber informed by a single glorious example of the craftsmanship of Van Cleef & Arpels, which was established in 1906. Vincent Meylan in ‘Van Cleef & Arpels :Treasures and Legends’, (2011) points out – ‘Van Cleef & Arpels was not merely a purveyor of jewels to men and women who possessed – and still possess – colossal fortunes, but also their confidant’.
This season, the well-respected photographer, Mika Ninagawa (pictured above) will show her take on some of the jewellery house’s floral gems in almost impossibly vibrant colour. Flowers are transient, living gems – something that the talented jeweller, JAR (Joel Arthur Rosenthal) as another prime exemplar, would understand so perfectly – the joy being their ephemeral essence and so all the more precious. Seasons remind that you cannot force the hand of Nature and so capturing their spirit of life in natural and often rare gemstones is an attractive reminder of the magic and intensity of a variety of buds and blooms – from the very simplest fruit blossom to the complexity of shade and pattern seen in say, an orchid. Ninagawa knows this only too well, as her love of Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom, in blush pink) shows which has a specific bloom time in Spring, is an international tourist attraction and indeed, a much loved domestic delight and source of national pride. The artist spends days at a time, photographing these ballerina blooms in different light and from different angles producing unusual and stunning effects.
The current exhibition, ‘Florae’ features some 100 flower-inspired jewellery masterworks but is it Art imitating Nature or Nature imitating Art? Either way, the result is indulgently glorious and a seduction of the senses.
Hotel d’Evreux, Place Vendome, Paris, France until November 14.
Exhibition News No one quite does florals like
Caroline Young penned the Chanel book and Ana Finel Honigman wrote the McQueen and, in relatively short texts, cover much ground, reminding the reader of the lasting legacy of two very different and two highly respected talents, the world over. The archival shots of Chanel are especially engrossing and perhaps to be expected, the ‘shock value’ catwalk imagery of McQueen, worn by celebrity models such as Stella Tennant, Kristen McMenamy and the much missed fashion icon, Isabella Blow who bought McQueen’s final college runway collection. In the former, we see the couturier at work in her atelier, lounging at home in timeless luxury or modelling her own creations in her early days, by the sea. McQueen’s catwalk shots remind of his dark and dangerous edginess incorporating tailored military suiting, bondage influences or the use of bones and horns, feathers and lace which somehow do not look surreal or out of place at all.
Whilst the concept of a bedside leather box or tray is nothing new, the company gently reminds that as a gentleman and perhaps, that (still) gentleman having enjoyed an evening’s revels must take care of his jewels. A signet ring seems wedded to the pinky but what about studs, tie bars, stick pins? There are especially 18th century stories a-plenty concerning those who sought out the cleaning jobs at grand houses and semi palaces, where they could be sure that amidst the detritus left by pleasure and combing through filth and vomit, there just might be lost diamonds and gold accessories which fell from wigs and coats in abundance. Nice work if you can get it, as someone once sang…
So, whilst one won’t quite vote for abstinence when it comes to a night’s jolly, if you have an Ettinger at home, you won’t lose your diamonds in the sheets – or anywhere else, for that matter. Rest easy, as you turn out the lights…
“The scarf is the canvas,” says Rouget. “It is a simple square – allowing creativity by the user…how it folds, how it drapes…It’s about exploring art in a different way – on an intimate, personal level.”
Perhaps the most striking images are those from the iconoclastic genius, Man Ray (1890-1976) who is best remembered for his contribution to the Dada and Surrealist art movements. In particular (although he regarded himself as a painter) it is his photography which has become memorable and some especially timeless and iconic, such as ‘ Le Violon d’Ingres’ (1924) showing a woman’ in a turban whose back indeed, resembles the instrument in the title. Then there is the evocative ‘Glass Tears’ (1932) which shows a partial face with a focus on heavily lashed eyes and perfect ‘moonstone’ cabochon lachrymose domes. In both cases, Man Ray’s expert lighting highlights the differing dramas.