Van Cleef & Arpels is showing a unique exhibition called “The Art of Movement” at the Design Museum in London from September 23 to October 20, 2022. Featuring almost a hundred creations from its patrimonial collection, numerous archive documents and lender masterpieces, the visitor’s journey is divided into four themes: Nature Alive, Dance, Elegance and Abstract Movements. Each section highlights a facet of movement explored by the Maison since its foundation in 1906.
“Nature Alive” highlights the Van Cleef & Arpels flora and fauna-inspired creations and bears witness to its taste for living nature. One of the pieces on display is the Trois Clochettes clip from 1964. Floating on a precious breeze, golden feathers alight on shoulders, Mystery Set flowers blossom on jacket lapels, or prepare to bloom on day or evening dresses. Blossoming roses with their tourmaline corollas seem freshly picked. Like snapshots, the animals that adorn clips and bracelets appear to have been frozen in mid-action.
Over the decades, Van Cleef & Arpels has drawn boundless inspiration from the world of dance, an art whose medium of expression is movement. The very specific bond between the Maison and this universe dates back to the 1920s. Ever since, dance has constantly imparted an aura of poetry and a graceful flair into Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations. You can see iconic pieces such as the Ballerina clip from 1952.
“Elegance” is all about Van Cleef & Arpels ability to draw inspiration from the world of couture both in the pursuit of realism and in the desire to accompany elegant women over the decades. One of the specificities of these jewels is the ability to transform to match different outfits such as the Zip necklace, which can turn into a bracelet. Motifs inspired by passementerie gave rise to pieces that echo the movements of the body.
Finally, there is “Abstract Movements.” Attentive to artistic movements throughout the 20th century, the Maison interpreted them in an original way, playing with shapes and materials. From the geometrically-decorated boxes of the 1930s to the pure, rounded lines inspired by Modernism and the kinetic magic of the hippie era, Van Cleef & Arpels has always played with the beholder’s gaze. Abstract yet fun, some works from the 1960s onwards recall Op Art, drawing us into an interplay of illusions, while opulent jewels of the 1970s display sinuous and curvy designs, evoking the era’s spirit of freedom.
Images courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
