“Botanical – Observing Beauty”: Chaumet celebrates nature at the Beaux Arts
The award for this summer’s star exhibit goes to Chaumet! At a time of redefining the place of plants in the world, Chaumet brings to light their significance in the arts, through a collection of stunning works gathered at the Beaux Arts de Paris. From Eva Jospin’s forest to Anna Atkins’ cyanotypes, not to mention the Pope’s thousand-flower tapestry, Arcimboldo’s Seasons (taken out of the Louvre for the first time), Manet’s and Monet’s paintings, Yves Saint Laurent’s wheat ear jacket, Christian Dior’s lilies of the valley dress (superstitious, he thought they were his good luck charms), and, of course, Chaumet’s historical and contemporary pieces. This abundant selection by botanist Marc Jeanson is highlighted by a outstanding scenography by Adrien Gardère. Wandering through the galleries, we saw Jean-Marc Mansvelt and Béatrice de Plinval giving Cindy Bruna, Victoria Monfort, Caroline Roux and Bernard Chevalier a tour of the exhibition. Further on, the attentive looks of Catherine Pégard, Raïka Hazanavicius, Lorena Vergani, Haider Ackerman, and Jean de Loisy revealed how this venue, steeped in history and beauty, was so wonderfully suited to this theme.
Photo: Ludovica Arcero et Pierre Mouton.
