In the tradition of its extravagant exhibitions, Cartier has recently opened Cartier, Crystallisation Of Time in Tokyo’s National Art Centre. Made up of some 300 items, ranging from jewels to clocks to objet d’art, the exhibition is the third Cartier exhibition in Japan since the 1990s (and the 34th globally).

Notably, half the exhibits are on loan from private collections, with the rest being from the Cartier Collection, the jeweller’s own trove of over 3000 items spanning 1860 to the modern day. More unusually, this is the first exhibition that includes contemporary Cartier creations from the 1970s and later, in contrast to past events that only included historical objects.

The exhibition explores the jeweller’s rich history by juxtaposing vintage jewels, timepieces and objects against their modern equivalents or relations. So a lavish portico mystery clock made of gold, rock crystal and onyx from 1923 sits beside a 2016 mysterious tourbillon pocket watch hanging in its rock crystal and jade stand.

Large ‘Portique’ mystery clock (left); and mysterious tourbillon pocket watch with stand

Desk clock, circa 1929, made of ebonite, mother-of-pearl, and coral (left); and magnetic clock from 2016, in white gold, lapis lazuli, and mother-of-pearl

It’s organised into three themes, detailing the jeweller’s work in materials, design, and cultural inspiration. The two scarab motif jewels, for instance, are six decades apart, but share the same Ancient Egyptian theme.

Scarab brooch, circa 1929 (left); and scarab necklace, circa 1990

At the opening event (from left to right): Yayoi Motohashi (Curator at The National Art Centre, Tokyo), Pierre Rainero (Image, Style and Heritage Director of Cartier International), Cyrille Vigneron (President & CEO of Cartier International), Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida (New Material Research Laboratory)

Exhibition details

Dates: October 2-December 16, 2019 (closed Tuesdays)
Time: 10:00am-6:00pm, 10:00am-8:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays
Admission fee: 1,600 yens for adults

The National Art Center, Tokyo
7-22-2 Roppongi
Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558
Japan