Paris in July: Cartier at the NGV

Every winter the National Gallery of Victoria (known as the NGV) hosts their Winter Masterpieces series where they bring internationally renowned art to the city. I have been a number of times and have shared posts about these visits as well. Coincidentally a few of these have fitted the Paris in July theme too from French Impressionists to Monet's Garden to an exhibition all about Napoleon.

There are some really famous names that come immediately to mind when you think of French luxury goods from fashion brand like Chanel and Yves St Laurent but if we are talking jewellery, then the name of Cartier must surely be right up near the top of the list. This year's Winter Masterpieces is called Cartier and the exhibition features around 400 glittering individual pieces. 

Maison Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 and from there has gone on to become a global powerhouse. The exhibition covers many of the inspirations that have helped create the brand, some of the famous names and pieces associated with the brand, the use of colour, Cartier in Hollywood and so much more, including both historical and contemporary pieces. 

One of the major themes of the exhibition was the way that different cultures influence fashion and designed. For example, there were pieces that reflected the interest in Egyptology which came into vogue in the late 1800s. Other influences included Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Indian gemstones, shapes and culture. For example, the photo above is part of what is now known as Tutti Frutti collection (so named in the 1970s) but when it was first made in the 1920s it was inspired by Indian gems and nature. These different inspirations weren't only seen in jewellery. There were many opulent cigarette cases, and other accessories, including clocks and other time pieces on display.

Fun fact: Did you know that Louis Cartier was the designer of one of the first wrist watches specifically designed for men? In 1904 his friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont who was a pilot, asked him to design a watch that would enable him to check the time while still being able to control his plane.

Other themes is the role of nature in providing design inspiration, from flowers to animals including the iconic panther designs that are synonymies with the name Cartier

It is hard to talk about a brand like Cartier without talking about the famous people who have worn iconic pieces from Elizabeth Taylor to Princess Grace of Monaco, to Princess Margaret and many other royals and wealthy people. There was a fun montage of films where the brand's jewellery was featured starting from the 1920s right through to 2025 and featured films such as High Society from the 1950s to more recent movies like Oceans 8. 

One of the most spectacular aspects of the exhibition were the tiaras. While there were lots of tiaras throughout the exhibition, the final room was all about tiaras with many different styles displayed in glass cabinets on the outside of the room and glass columns in an inner circle. There were so many absolutely gorgeous examples of tiaras on display.

I could share dozens of photos with you all but I am limiting it to just a few. I thought the image on the top right was really interesting as it is made of black steel. It feels like that could be contemporary although it was influenced by Russian style and was made in the early 20th century. I must confess that the Sun tiara on the bottom right absolutely took my breath away when I saw it! It was made in 1907 although the yellow diamond was added in 2014. 

If only I had an unlimited jewellery budget and somewhere to where something so beautiful! For now, I will have to be content with just looking. 

The exhibition was beautifully staged, and the accompanying soundtrack by composed by Japanese electronic artist Ai Yamamoto and Finnish composer Erkki Veltheim was the perfect accompaniment

When granting the royal decree to Cartier, King Edward VII said Cartier was "Jeweler of kings . . . and king of jewelers" and having spent some time at this exhibition, it is obvious why!

Finally, I thought I would share a very short video of one of the pieces, the fully articulated snake necklace. It really shows the glittering nature of the diamonds. 

I am sharing this post as part of Paris in July, hosted at Words and Peace.