The pieces on display come mainly from the Cartier collection, supplemented by fifty loans from public institutions (Musée des Arts décoratifs, Musée Galliera, Bibliothèque nationale de France – musée de l’Opéra, Bibliothèque des Arts décoratifs) or private collections. A prestigious ensemble of about twenty pieces, some official and others more personal, from the Prince of Monaco’s collection reveal Princess Grace’s elegant taste. Visitors will also get a glimpse of the extraordinary Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress of a huge cereal empire, a great collector of Russian and French art and the most assiduous customer of Cartier New York, thanks to the most exceptional support of the Hillwood Foundation installed in her last abode in Washington. The exhibition presents several emblematic figures in Cartier’s history: important customers, actresses or heiresses (Barbara Hutton, Marlene Dietrich, Liz Taylor and Maria Félix), maharajahs from the Indies – just a dream at the time but now not so far away – or trendsetters from various periods who left their mark on history (including Daisy Fellowes, Mona Bismarck and the Duchess of Windsor).
The first exhibition to be held in the newly restored grand reception room, Cartier. Style and History is ideally suited to this grandiose space and beautifully served by a poetic design. Rather than evoking a jeweller’s shop, the exhibition unfolds like a story, creating a different atmosphere for each section, achieving its twofold aim of letting the magic of the objects speak for itself while giving visitor the keys to understanding this eventful tale.
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