Museum Calouste Gulbenkian

EXHIBITION RENÉ LALIQUE

DRESS ART

Collections

Collection origin

The origin of this magnificent collection dates back to the 1890s when Calouste Gulbenkian and René Lalique met. The friendship between the two which lasted half a century led the collector to acquire almost all the works directly from the artist between 1899 and 1927.

EXHIBITION

The exhibition’s itinerary, anchored in two key moments of 20th-century art, the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts of 1925, will, however, cover all the major moments in the artist’s career, from the phase of craft production as a jeweller in the Art Nouveau period, to the period when he took on the role of “industrial creator” and began to devote himself exclusively to glass.

COLECCIÓN CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN

Gulbenkian bought almost all the works directly from Lalique. In 1912, when the artist held his last jewellery exhibition in his shop in Place Vendome in Paris, Calouste Gulbenkian had already bought 69 of his pieces, testimony to René Lalique’s uniqueness and creativity. The artist became known for designing his jewellery using innovative materials at the expense of precious stones. The glass was one of his favourite materials, which he worked with until the end of his career.