Though 4 Sep 2022 marked the end of the 3-month Chaumet “Végétal – L’École de la beauté”, it has left its imprint on us. “Végétal” was more than just an exhibition; it was a herbarium in the form of storytelling that invited us to explore and understand the poetic relationships between plants, art, and jewellery. When we entered, we didn’t think we were at the Beaux-Arts de Paris (School of Fine Arts in Paris). We had rather the impression that we were brought into a special nature, a different dimension that showed us the beauty of the blend of art and ecosystem. Through various artistic forms and plants, we were drawn, naturally, on the jewellery heritage of Chaumet and their botanical vision.
Végétal: involving more than 70 museums and foundations
One of the aspects of this meticulously curated exhibition that we have to mention was the number of institutions that participated in it. To organise this exceptional exhibition , Chaumet displayed 80 of its jewellery and invited more than 70 museums (e.g. Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, Albion Art Collection of Tokyo), galleries, and private collectors to exhibit their artworks under the same theme, which included almost 400 objects of paintings, sculptures, textiles, photographs etc spanning over 5,000 years. Together, they welcomed the visitors to journey into the story of plants and discover the beauty of artworks and jewellery inspired by the natural world.
A botanical exhibition with artistic works that sublimated it
Anyone who visited “Végétal” would surely understand that it was a botanical exhibition that paid tribute to plants and biodiversity; but the exhibition was also about the natural world through the eyes of artists, scientists, and designers. It showed how much their works were inspired by the simple or complicated forms of plants and animals. This is why it made sense to divide the exhibition into different chapters: Forest, Foreshore, Reedbed, Meadow, Garden etc. They were the landscapes that represented the natural environments of the species displayed.
To show you what “Végétal” was about, here are some of the works that we were rather fond of:
Christian Dior dress embroidered with rhinestones and green threads representing lilies of the valley
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, a motif that was flavoured by the well-known impressionist
Gold myrtle wreath discovered in Derveni, Greece (325 - 200 B.C.), with delicate craftsmanship seen in the buds and blooming flowers
Yves Saint Laurent black wool jacket embroidered with wheat ears; Yves Saint Laurent Wheat ear embroideries
Eva Jospin’s Forest, which was created entirely with cardboard and wood
An exhibition that inspired
This is the second time we participated in a Chaumet exhibition. The first one was “Dess(e)in de Nature” in 2019, but this time was even more comprehensive. There were moderators around ready to guide you through different sectors, which made the exhibition more dynamic. Each sector was separated with black automatic gates to deliver a sense of mystery. To assimilate us into the environment, there was also the presence of symphonic music being played gently in the background. Though we stayed there for 3 hours, we didn’t feel like it.
There was just so much to see and to be reminded of, as the natural world is, for most of us, the side of the world that we rarely pay enough attention to in terms of its shapes, textures, and colours. These aspects, together, construct the beauty of nature that is timeless. Chaumet “Végétal – L’École de la beauté” showed us that nature itself is enough for us to be charmed. At the same time, Chaumet’s botanical motifs and heritage have also imprinted on us.
P.s. here is a fitness event organised by Hermès. Go check it out!