Van Cleef & Arpels Meets Japanese Crafts In Kyoto

The crafts of two cultures come together at the Van Cleef & Arpels’ Mastery of an Art: High Jewelry and Japanese Crafts exhibition in Kyoto

NEWS: Mastery of an Art: High Jewelry and Japanese Crafts by Van Cleef & Arpels is set to open tomorrow, 29 April at the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto.

Renowned around the world for its high jewellery Maison, the brand is famed for its unique style and excellent craftsmanship, organising exhibitions and displaying their heritage collection at various museums in the world. This year, the exhibition's concept will revolve around the comparison of Van Cleef & Arpels’ high jewellery craft to the Japanese’s traditional crafts, within the context of skilled Japanese and French workmanship.

In addition to Van Cleef & Arpels’ high jewellery, the exhibition will consist of works by contemporary Japanese craft artists such as Moriguchi Kunihiko, a Living National Treasure in yuzen dyeing; Kimura Takeshi, an Important Intangible Cultural Property holder in ra and tatenishiki weaving; Nakagawa Kiyotsugu, an Important Intangible Cultural Property holder in traditional wood crafts; the lacquer artisan Hattori Shunsho; and the ceramic artist Miwa Kyusetsu XII (Miwa Ryusaku). There will also be a special display of collaborative works, integrating elements of both high jewelry and Japanese crafts.

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Embroidered wall hanging with wisteria and peacock, artist unknown, c. 1905 (swipe left for more)

Indian inspired necklace, 1971

Dragon clip, 1969

Envelope vanity case, c. 1925

Pot with butterflies and flower arabesque patterns by Namikawa Yasuyuki, Cloisonné enamel, Late 19th century (Meiji era)

Fuchsia clip, 1968

With this exhibition, the brand hopes to generate a new context and forge a unique bond between high jewellery, a symbolic savoir-faire of the French, and the 1,200-year history of the Japanese’s traditional craft, serving as a testament to the spirit of cultural exchange that exists between France and Japan, more specifically Paris and Kyoto.

While the exhibition’s focus is on the mastery of an art, Van Cleef & Arpels believes that presenting a special selection of excellent works of high jewellery and Japanese crafts that serve as outstanding examples of French and Japanese techniques, will lead to the emergence of new perspectives and a higher level of cultural exchange and fusion.

“In the first section of the exhibition, devoted to the company’s history, I used natural hinoki cypress wood to produce a space that is dynamic, but at the same time delicate and pure. In the section containing jewellery and Japanese crafts, the weight of the transparent display cases gives rise to a calm and subtle air, creating a beautiful comparison between sharpness and exibility, and simplicity and diversity.”, said Sou Fujimoto, one of the most distinguished architects, whose works will be displayed at the exhibition.

Mastery of an Art: Van Cleef & Arpels - High Jewellery and Japanese Crafts will be open from 29 April to 6 August 2017, from 9.30am to 5pm at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

For more details on the exhibition, visit the official website.