Editor’s Note
This article previews a landmark exhibition in Tokyo, where architectural and jewelry masterpieces converge to celebrate a century of Art Deco design.
The exhibition “Eternal Moment: Van Cleef & Arpels – Art Deco Narrated by High Jewelry” has opened at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum (Shirokanedai, Minato Ward). It brings together a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture, the former Asaka Palace, and the prestigious French high jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. This unprecedented space is where authentic arts meet and resonate across eras. We covered this dialogue of beauty woven between historic architecture and high jewelry. (Writer: Mariko Yamamoto)
Van Cleef & Arpels is a high jewelry maison born in 1895 from the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. In 1906, it opened its first boutique at 22 Place Vendôme in Paris, where renowned jewelry brands gathered. Since then, based on its unique creativity and high-level craftsmanship known as “Savoir-Faire,” it has continued to captivate people worldwide.
This exhibition commemorates the 100th anniversary of the “International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts” (commonly known as the Art Deco Exhibition) held in Paris in 1925. Van Cleef & Arpels won the Grand Prix in the jewelry category at that exhibition.
Prince Yasuhiko Asaka and Princess Nobuko, who stayed in Paris for about three years from 1922, are said to have visited the 1925 Art Deco Exhibition and were deeply impressed. That experience was strongly reflected in their private residence, completed in 1933—the current main building of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. The building’s design and interior decoration were commissioned from artists representing France at the time, including Henri Rapin (1873–1939), who garnered attention at the Art Deco Exhibition, and the master glass artisan René Lalique (1860–1945).
Yukihide Muta, Deputy Director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, stated this. He further elaborated on the exhibition’s significance:
Architect Tetsuo Nishizawa, responsible for the exhibition design, said:
Chapter 1 displays numerous high jewelry pieces, including the Grand Prix-winning work from the Art Deco Exhibition.
In Chapter 2, visitors are greeted by white jewelry delicately adorned with diamonds and platinum. From the 1920s onwards, what Van Cleef & Arpels pursued was three-dimensional form and refined brilliance.
Chapter 3 introduces works that combine abstract sculptural beauty with functionality, created in response to societal changes.
Proceeding to the new building, we reach the final chapter. The various aspects of “Savoir-Faire” passed down to Van Cleef & Arpels to the present day are introduced across five sections. Please enjoy the experience of touring five gardens woven by jewelry featuring motifs of plants and animals.