AN INTERVIEW BY ESTELLE ARIELLE BOUCHET:
FRANÇOIS FARGES CO-CURATOR OF THE EXHIBITION “PIERRES PRÉCIEUSES” NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN PARIS
Left: Collaret, 1939 platinum, diamonds Former collection of Her Majesty Queen Nazli of Egypt. Van Cleef & Arpels Collection. Patrick Gries ©. Van Cleef & Arpels SA. On a display for the first time in France Below: Simulation of the French Blue diamond of Louis XIV, recreated for the exhibition. © MNHN / F. Farges.
E
François Farges, co-curator of the exhibition.
stelle Arielle Bouchet interviews François Farges, co-curator of the exhibition “Pierres Précieuses”—at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in parthership with Maison Van Cleef &Arpels and its President & CEO Nicolas Bos. If you are in Paris until August 22nd, do not miss the opportunity to visit the exhibition “Pierres Précieuses” which proposes a hybrid path-though two distinct roomsbetween the legendary gems of the Museum and Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewellery archive pieces. Connecting thus, naturally, the miraculous element of gem with the artistic creation; the Earth with the man’s ability to concieve a masterpiece.
Estelle Arielle Bouchet: François Farges, you are the co-curator of the unique exhibition “Pierres Précieuses” (Gems) at the French Museum of Natural History (Jardin des plantes campus in Paris), which is born from a unique partnership with the ancient and illustrious institution embodied by the Museum itself and the brilliant Jewelry Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, what is the genesis of this exhibition and which Spirit animates it? François Farges: We started this new vision since I arrived at the Museum in 2006. Back then, the previous mineral and gems exhibitions – despite their greatness – were needed to be lifted
for a new kind of presentation, more modern, more stylish perhaps and emphasizing all the great scientists and artists that contributed to our collections since the 17th century. And then, we had a new permanent exhibition that opened in 2014 named “Trésors de la Terre” aka Treasures of the Earth, that Nicolas Bos, CEO and Art Director of Van Cleef & Arpels appreciated a lot for its elegance and modernity. It is open by the way with the French Crown jewels presentation. On the other hand, VCA decided to start an exhibition project in Singapore about the Art and Science of Gems, Art and Science of Gems, for which I was asked to design the science section to be seen in parallel to the jewelry part curated by VCA and more particularly Lise Macdonald, Director of the Heritage and Exhibitions and its wonderful team.
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle -Van Cleef & Arpels Exhibition "Pierres Precieuses" design by Jouin Manku, with vertical showcases, where jewellery creations are displayed above natural minerals and polished gemstones. © Eric Laignel.
The success was so immense that I suggested to my President to think about a Parisian version of that Singapore event. Because such project could be more extended as many precious objects of our collections cannot travel abroad due to their preciosity, fragility, etc. Furthermore, they have never been exhibited in modern times. And then Nicolas Bos and Bruno David decided to remake it again in Paris, but with a totally new and enhanced synopsis, focused this time on the gemstones, sciences, technics and arts. EAB: First time we’ve met, three years ago, “Pierres Précieuses” project was already on the fire, how was your collaboration with Nicolas Bos, CEO and Art Director of Van Cleef & Arpels? F. F.: May I reveal you a secret? It was just great. Because Nicolas Bos is a visionary person, just like our Museum President Bruno David. Both, because they gave us hints and the directions to better refine our synopsis. A key for me was to make sure the Stone Department of the VCA was involved too, because they have fabulous collections of unseen stones of the best quality that, at the Muséum, we have no chance to see despite we are among the top world experts in that domain. I think Nicolas and Bruno are true friends, it is obvious when they talk together. Bruno makes the science understandable to everyone.
So this helped a lot, trust me, because this was not a simple and linear project as every project can be. Questions were raised, the answers were to be found, often not quickly enough, piles of technical problems to be solved at once, selection of showcases to be made, sometimes difficult to remove some. Not even mentioning the communication, the books, the audio guides etc. I have more than 100 versions of the synopsis! EAB: Are Science and Art “two names which go together well”? F. F.: Yes ! And this is the case here at the Muséum since the 17th century. Our founding fathers (as they were, alas no mothers back then) wanted the Muséum to show the beauties of Mother Earth but also what humanity has done with them. And among them, art objects. So this concept is far from new here at the Museum. So we were precursors back then, and still are. But modernity brings new forms of display, explanations and understanding because we all know that science has evolved dramatically like arts since the 17th century. What is the artistic equivalent of innovation of a smartphone that did not existed 15 years ago? I'm not sure that exists yet so widely in the arts. You know, the public now seeks for a new way to express science and arts because they are exhausted with the current forms of exhibitions. They need something fresher and not just another exhibition of that master or
that concept. We provided the grandiose aspect of time and space, forgotten species, yes, dinosaurs can generate precious stones believe it or not so come to the exhibition to see that. All of that surrounded by sculptures, furniture or jewels, all made of gemstones. This is very unique, yet based on simple and efficient concepts that we loaded in that exhibition. Many people told me: why this was never done before, this sounds so obvious and simple? So honored to hear that concerning our group. EAB: What about the dynamics of the exhibition, have you collaborated with Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku, the designers? Does the scientific knowledge dictate the presentation or the artistic expression predominant? F. F.: Yes, Patrick and Sanjit were heavily involved in the project. And I loved to see how they interacted with us even on the synopsis and I hope that they appreciated how I interfered with their expertise (laughing). They gave us more than a case for the exhibition, they gave a spirit, a flame within the volumes, with discreet elegance and Paris-style. Furthermore, they load something quite French, urbanism or the logics of volumes. I wanted vertical showcases, and they immediately understood and created something beyond all my dreams because it was exactly what we needed. Those vertical showcases are one of the secret weapons of the event.
Above: The Great Table of the Orsini, given to Cardinal Mazarin, kept today at the MNHN in a exhibition design by Jouin Manku. © Eric Laignel.
You see how a rock brings your eye to a mineral then to a crystal and then to a faceted gemstone and then to a jewel at the top. The gift from deep Mother Earth to us, tiny humans on the surface for a temporary life. All the showcases compose a symphony of light and colors with the rhythms of textures, colors and volumes within the objects displayed. I included all variables, all is calculated in 3D. And, at the very center of the exhibition: we see planes of reflective lights, asterism of light dazzling with light decomposition in rainbows lost in large translucent glides composed of large gauzy panels, sometimes reflective like metals, sometimes nearly opalescent: it is exactly what I see inside minerals under a microscope! Or, more precisely, what I can dream at night when I fly inside a gemstone in my mind. Impressive. A masterpiece, truly. I will confess the truly magic secret ingredient of the exhibition, I told everyone at the beginning: only passion – no theories nor conventions. Below: Nicolas Bos, President & Chief Executive Officer of Van Cleef & Arpels. © Richemont. All rights reserved.
EAB: On which minerals would you like to lay the emphasis, which piece of High Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels gives, according to you, a deep echo with these stones you have studied for years, present in “Pierres Précieuses”? F. F.: I love most of them because I am a scientist. So, I don’t have preconceived ideas on the subject. I wander into each of them, explore drawers, and stop when I detect something obscure or unusual in my comprehension. Especially when it sounds odd at first but is promising for future discoveries. I smell those… Yesterday Blue diamond from India, today emerald from the Middle-Ages, tomorrow maybe rubies from marbles - don’t even know. No idea about the future, don’t want to be too focused like a steadfast groupie. Not at all. Let me free, I fly. To answer quickly your second question, by working with VCA I see new ways to explore our collections. And the Art Deco bracelet named “Entwined flower, red and white rose bracelet” (1924) composed of rubies, emeralds, diamonds, onyx, platinum. It shows patterns of roses in rubies that sounds like cristallized into an abstract design, like in modern stain glasses, like Chagall but much before Chagall. This per se introduces the Art Deco movement. VCA was awarded the Grand medal in Paris at the Art Deco exhibition for that innovative piece. It is shown at the end of part 2 and it makes the perfect transition with the cubist minerals of the Surrealist avant-garde that we show right after at the beginning of part 3, and they are from our archived collections that I recently rediscovered. Both explain how Paris was at the avant-garde in science and the arts in the 1930’s particularly when cubism, Bauhaus and Art Deco promoted geometric figures. EAB: What is the human approach in such a research which gave birth to this unusual marriage between minerals, gems and High Jewelry? F. F: Many works from behind the shelves as you can imagine. Maybe 10 to 15 years of patient research, many dead ends, that’s research and some good news, once or twice a year. And then the perfect match between the patrimonial collection of the MNHN,
Above: 65.04-ct polished elbaite tourmaline Mozambique Van Cleef & Arpels Collection, © F. Farges.
VCA, and all other partners of the exhibition. We agree to have stylish and elegant showcases for which the vision already explains a bit of the science inside, whatever geology or art history. So many testings to detect how things fits together or not when coming from such diverse collections. It takes time, patience, memory, lots of memory. EAB: Which satisfaction did this new work experience brought to you and which difficulties? F. F.: Right, each project brings new perspectives. I am already involved in other projects too on different subjects. Some colleagues that are theoreticians of museology, which I am not, told me yesterday that the exhibition is a masterpiece of museology. And they knew that everybody was involved, it is common work. But I tried to impose my views and they told me it worked well. The best I could hear. I have seen other famous temporary exhibitions in Paris and we can say, indeed, that we are far advanced in terms of presentation, lightings, global concepts, etc. No white walls with paintings or stands with sculptures and a too-old spot above it. We could achieve some perfection thanks to our common vision at the MNHN, VCA, JouinManku and all the partners who endure me a bit to uneasy sometimes because I am pretty stubborn when I foresee something in my head. It is more my partners who had difficulties with me! they have been so kind. “Pierres Précieuses”, until August 22nd 2021 Museum Nationale d’Histoire Naturelle 36 rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 75005-Paris. See also, www.vancleefarpels.com.
This page: Collaret, 1929. Platinum, emeralds, diamonds. Former collection of H. R. H. Princess Faiza of Egypt. Van Cleef & Arpels Collection. Patrick Gries © Van Cleef & Arpels SA.
This page: Collaret, 1929. Platinum, emeralds, diamonds. Former collection of H. R. H. Princess Faiza of Egypt. Van Cleef & Arpels Collection. Patrick Gries © Van Cleef & Arpels SA.
