Wenn Jugendstil Diamanten trägt
Van Cleef & Arpels has opened an exhibition titled "Glanzstücke" at the MAK – Museum für angewandte Kunst in Vienna, bringing around 300 jewelry and objet d'art pieces from its heritage collection into dialogue with approximately 200 objects from the museum's own holdings. The show spans from Jugendstil and Art Deco to contemporary works, featuring iconic pieces like the 1955 "Collier Zip" necklace, which appears on the exhibition poster superimposed onto Koloman Moser's 1906 paravent. Curated by Alexandrine Maviel-Sonet of Van Cleef & Arpels and MAK director Lilli Hollein, the exhibition highlights thematic connections across epochs, including a 1935 Minaudière and objects from ancient China to Biedermeier-era lace.
This exhibition matters because it exemplifies a growing trend of luxury maisons partnering with major museums to present their heritage collections in a curatorial context, blurring the lines between decorative arts, design history, and commercial branding. By juxtaposing Van Cleef & Arpels creations with the MAK's Wiener Werkstätte archive and other historical artifacts, the show underscores the shared aesthetic influences—such as Japonism and the evolving role of women—that link French jewelry design and Viennese modernism. It also raises questions about how museums balance institutional scholarship with corporate sponsorship, while offering the public rare access to a private collection that documents over a century of craftsmanship.