{"id":38418,"date":"2023-07-05T12:48:08","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T08:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=38418"},"modified":"2023-07-17T10:32:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T06:32:23","slug":"van-cleef-and-arpels-the-crown-jewels-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/van-cleef-and-arpels-the-crown-jewels-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crown Jewels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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VAN CLEEF & ARPELS TIME, NATURE, LOVE EXHIBITION Scenography by Patrick Sawaya<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saudi Arabia may have only opened its doors to international visitors in 2019 \u2013 in line with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud\u2019s modernisation strategy Vision 2030 \u2013 but this historic moment has since seen the Kingdom become the fastest growing tourism destination in the G20. Included in this influx are the European luxury brands hoping to gain a fashion foothold. And among those seeking a success story of their own in the Kingdom is Van Cleef & Arpels, bringing its Time, Nature, Love exhibition to the National Museum of Saudi Arabia \u2013 the third stop on its world tour after Palazzo Reale in Milan and the Power Station of Art in Shanghai.<\/p>\n

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Drawing of a box decorated with birds, circa 1935, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ARCHIVE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Laila Alfaddagh, Director of the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to be where we\u2019re at right now in terms of art and culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To have the support of the government and ministry, such as the Ministry of Culture, is really vital and important for a country to strive in terms of the culture industry.\u201d Established in 1999, with 4,000 objects on permanent display, Laila\u2019s deciding factor to host Time, Nature, Love was, \u201cto make the National Museum more relevant to our visitors here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also internationally.\u201d She adds, \u201cWhat inspired me the most was how I could create that link of what is on permanent display at the National Museum with the exhibition, but in a contemporary way.\u201d<\/p>\n

So why is now the right time to bring Van Cleef & Arpels: Time, Nature, Love to Saudi? President and CEO Nicolas Bos has the answer. \u201cSo many things are happening in Saudi now, it\u2019s such a blessing and a pleasure to be somehow part of it. Saudi has always been a very important market. There is really an appreciation of the precious subject of jewellery. And I would say only in the last few years have we really seen the structures and infrastructures develop in the country, around culture, around retail, and around education in a way that enables brands or institutions like ours to really participate at a speed that is quite remarkable and unprecedented.\u201d Nicolas continues, \u201cThis museum is more than 20 years old, but it\u2019s the only recently that they really opened to international collaboration, and projects that are not necessarily directly linked to their own collection of Saudi art, so it was really a matter of timing and recent developments. These projects are very much about building relationships, and building trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curated by Professor of Jewellery Design at Milan Polytechnic University and President of the Milano Fashion Institute, Alba Cappellieri, the exhibition showcases more than 280 jewels, timepieces, and precious objects, in addition to 90 archival documents, sketches and gouach\u00e9 designs illustrating the creative process from Patrimonial Department, led by Van Cleef & Arpels\u2019 Director of Patrimony, Lise Macdonald.<\/p>\n

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Bird of Paradise clip, 1942 – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS COLLECTION<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the treasures on display is a lion\u2019s head gold choker owned by Elizabeth Taylor, a diamond tiara worn by Grace Kelly, and in a nod to the region, is the 1929 emerald cabochon-tipped diamond necklace worn by Princess Fawzia of Egypt and the Collaret necklace that was created for Queen Nazli to mark the wedding of her daughter to the Shah of Iran.<\/p>\n

Time, Nature, Love arrives in the Kingdom as the second season of Saudi 100 Brands, the mentorship programme masterminded by Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Fashion Commission, is gathering momentum. Among them are several established and emerging talents in jewellery design including Almuhaisen Jewellery, Amarin Jewels, Charmaleena, Fluorite, Lillian Ismail, Nadine, and Loomer Jewellery to name but a few, all of which seek inspiration from their rich heritage and Saudi ancestry. \u201cThe hierarchy that you can see sometimes in other countries between visual arts and decorative arts doesn\u2019t really exist in the culture which is great, I think,\u201d Nicolas notes, while hinting at plans on a future collaboration between Van Cleef & Arpels around Saudi jewellery in Paris in the near future.<\/p>\n

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Barquerolles Choker, 1971, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS COLLECTION<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is not a commercial event, nor is it a communication coup,\u201d Nicolas insists. \u201cThe objective for us is to welcome as many visitors as possible from all possible backgrounds.\u201d Bearing witness to this commitment, many of the exhibits were made tactile for the visually impaired and lowered for wheelchair access and for children to enjoy. Furthermore, for the duration of the show, the National Museum of Saudi Arabia hosted a lively calendar of workshops, immersive educational activities for all ages, and talks with regional and international speakers including topics such as: The Secrets of Sentimental Jewels; Flora in Jewellery Arts; and The Role of Museums and Galleries in Preserving Heritage. \u201cIt\u2019s not about exclusivity,\u201d Nicolas protests. \u201cIt\u2019s not about the expensive pieces. It\u2019s really about forms of beauty, and that we welcome many visitors as possible to discover the exhibition.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef on their wedding day, 1895, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ARCHIVE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet for an exhibition so centred on Paris as the birthplace of the Maison founded in 1906, leaving only one room, The Elsewhere, to explore motifs inspired by the emblems of Egypt, China, and India \u2013 which Nicholas is quick to describe as Van Cleef & Arpels\u2019 tributes to, as opposed to being appropriated from, these other cultures \u2013 it was left to American architect-designer Johanna Grawunder to root this narrative firmly in the Kingdom. \u201cIn this museum, which is monumental and modern, and quite a different situation altogether from a neoclassical palazzo in the centre of Milan and the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, we had to build a new world,\u201d recalls Johanna. \u201cNow we\u2019re in the desert. And in the desert, there\u2019s sand, sunsets and sunrises that are washing this neutral palette, as well as traditional nomadic soft architecture. So this was the inspiration for exhibit in Riyadh.<\/p>\n

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Workshop card featuring a Place Vend\u00f4me cigarette case, 1946, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ARCHIVE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visitors are greeted with a sunrise, ushered under a desert sky for the Love chapter of the curation, and the show reaching its crescendo with an aurora borealis, finishing with the sunset, all created with very high-technology digital effects. \u201cThis is world building,\u201d acknowledges Johanna of her glowing scenography. \u201cAnd for me, that\u2019s a very important aspect of all physical visual communication now, to accept that you\u2019re bringing people into a different universe but in this case, the main citizens of this new world is the jewellery,\u201d she declares. \u201cSo this exhibition is designed for them. This is their city. So they are, in fact, the most luminous object in the room, visually and technically. They really bring life into the rooms. So in this abstract luminous world, we have these masterpieces, and we\u2019re allowed to visit their world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Van Cleef & Arpels catalogue presenting the Minaudi\u00cbre, 1933 VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ARCHIVE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No stranger to world building himself is Burak \u00c7akmak, CEO of the Fashion Commission, whose masterplan to create a meaningful, sustainable global fashion hub in Saudi Arabia in line with Vision 2030 is gaining traction and gathering speed. According to Burak, \u201cVan Cleef & Arpels put on a spectacular show for its significant Saudi customer base, with the thousands of visitors to the exhibition testament to this and the importance of jewellery in Saudi culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Drawing of a Zip Necklace, circa 1960 VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ARCHIVES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He elaborates, \u201cSaudi consumers love luxury, and they love events \u2013 70 per cent of Saudi luxury consumers are interested in brands hosting local events and shows. And with one in two consumers in Saudi viewing shopping as a hobby, with high spend and frequent purchasing, the Kingdom is welcoming international brands with open arms.\u201d Burak continues, \u201cSince its launch in 2020, the Fashion Commission has hosted its own international events, and is always keen to hear from brands interested in the Saudi market, welcoming collaboration and feedback, and happy to share insights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading the conversation about the role Saudi fashion has to play in cultural diplomacy, Burak declares, \u201cThe fashion scene here is thriving. It\u2019s important we engage with international brands and bring international exhibitions to the country to inspire, educate and bring like-minded people together.\u201d In turn, he adds, \u201cWe have many talented emerging creatives, including the designers on the Fashion Commission\u2019s Saudi 100 Brands programme who are breaking into international markets.\u201d Having successfully shown Saudi designers in New York and Milan as part of this pioneering mentorship initiative, for a true cultural exchange, could Paris, the home of Van Cleef & Arpels, be next?<\/p>\n

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