The exhibition “Time, Nature, Love by Darvin Cleef & Arpels” opens its doors this week to visitors at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The exhibition represents an immersive experience that transports guests to the world of the French luxury jewelry house, showcasing its meticulous craftsmanship, pioneering designs, and artistic aesthetic that marked the history of Van Cleef & Arpels through the years.
The exhibition, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, includes more than 280 creative pieces of jewelry, watches and precious antiques dating back to the beginnings of Van Cleef & Arpels in 1906. In addition to these pieces from the Van Cleef & Arpels collection are more than 90 archived documents, drawings and gouache designs. . Among the pieces on display are dazzling creations that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Nazli, Queen of Egypt, and Fawzia, Princess of Egypt.
These rare creations have been meticulously selected under the direction of Alba Cappellieri, Professor of Jewelery Design at Milan Polytechnic University and President of the Milan Fashion Institute, and are structured around three main sections devoted to the concepts of time, nature and love. The exhibition also adopts the design of the immersive scenography created by the American designer Johanna Grawunder, where the space is characterized by mystery and poetry, and in the middle of it is a transparent sculpture that forms the focal point of the hall dedicated to love.
In addition to the wide range of timeless pieces on display, the exhibition reaffirms the core values of Van Cleef & Arpels, which are creativity, knowledge transfer, and education through a comprehensive agenda that includes meetings with regional and international speakers, workshops for children and adults, and other immersive educational activities
In addition, L’Ecole, the School of Jewelery Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, offers unique classes and workshops such as “Nature: The Inspiration Behind Architecture”, “The Secret Language of Flowers” and “The Philosophy Behind Love”. The school will also host well-known international speakers to deliver lectures on “Saudi Arabia’s Influence on the Local Industry” and “Secrets of Emotional Jewellery”.
