Into The Past

Van Cleef & Arpels' heritageand Exhibition Director, Lisemacdonald, Talks About How Her Extensive Experience With Museums Shapes The Way She Approaches The Maison's Rich History

- Hillary Kang

Lise Macdonald has always loved museums. She spent several years at the École du Louvre - the famed institution's prestigious and highly-competitive school emerging with a master's degree in museology, with a specialisation in Old European Master Paintings. Then came stints at several museums around the world, including a posting at UNESCO, and at Singapore's own ArtScience Museum, before she finally joined Van Cleef & Arpels in 2017 as its heritage and exhibition director.

And at the Maison, she found plenty of material to work with. To comb through Van Cleef & Arpels' archives and story is to get a glimpse of world history and the evolution of style and culture: From the appointment of Renée Puissant as the Maison's Creative Director in 1926 - a move which marked a shift for women in the industry to the Maison's much-vaunted collaboration with acclaimed ballet choreographer George Balanchine in 1967, the French jeweller has marked many milestones in its 116 years of existence.

Macdonald's latest project pays tribute to that rich history. Held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo in February, ‘Poetry of Time' was a sprawling exhibition that gathered together a wealth of pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels' treasury.

For Macdonald who lived in Singapore for close to a decade being able to present the exhibition here was an especially joyous experience. “Even though I'm now based in Paris, I've in fact never truly left Singapore,” she quips. “I live with the country in my heart every day it's a great joy and honour to be back with Poetry of Time, and it's wonderful to continue transmitting history, craftsmanship, and beauty.”