Values to BEHOLD

In conversation with curator Alba Cappellieri on the latest chapter of the Van Cleef Arpels: Time, Nature, Love exhibition.

-  TAN SIOK HOON

From its birthplace at 22, Place Vendôme, Paris, and since 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels is globally renowned as a High Jewellery maison, drawing its inspiration from nature, couture and the imaginary worlds. Cherished for its unique vision that is synonymous with wonder, poetry and emotion, you can now encounter its timeless universe of beauty and harmony at the Van Cleef & Arpels: Time, Nature, Love exhibition, hosted at D Museum, Seoul, from November 18, 2023 to April 14, 2024. After travelling to Milan, Shanghai and Riyadh, the patrimonial exhibition has landed in the South Korean capital for its fourth edition.

Debuting never-before-seen masterpieces, the exhibits include over 300 jewellery creations, watches and precious objects produced since the Maison’s foundation, alongside more than 90 original archives. Supporting these bejewelled pieces from the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection and loans from private collections are archival documents and sketches illustrating the beginnings of the creative process, and gouache designs. The exhibition’s immersive scenography, conceived by international designer-artist Johanna Grawunder, employs neon-coloured light to create a poetic and enigmatic ambience, crowned by a towering and transparent sculpture in the Love room.