CHRISTIAN DIOR
Spirit
Perfumes
Conception : Direction de la Communication du Pays de Grasse, Photographie Laziz Hamani
of
GRASSE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF PERFUMERY
EXHIBITION MAY 16 - OCTOBER 1, 2017
Grasse
Le goût de l’essentiel
WWW.MUSEESDEGRASSE.COM
CHRISTIAN DIOR – Esprit
de parfums (Spirit of
Perfumes)
SPRING - SUMMER EXHIBITION 2017
INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF PERFUMERY - GRASSE
May 16 - October 1, 2017
« It is difficult to imagine the care and attention that go into researching a new perfume, the development of the bottle, even the
packaging. These pursuits are so absorbing that today I feel myself to be as much a perfumer as a fashion designer»
Christian Dior
The only “Musée de France” (Museum of France) devoted to the history of perfumery, the International Museum of
Perfumery in Grasse, a public institution, pursues an active policy in terms of temporary exhibitions and loans. Indeed,
the museum organises two exhibitions a year on site: a summer exhibition on subjects of interest to the public at large
and a more intimate winter exhibition, aimed at a more specialist public.
After looking at the perfumery of the turn of the 20th century, “De la Belle Époque aux Années Folles” (From the Belle
Époque to the Roaring Twenties) in 2016, the International Museum of Perfumery continues its exploration of the world
of perfume in the 20th century by focusing on the post-war period and the iconic life of Christian Dior, designer-perfumer
from 1947. This exhibition, developed with support Christian Dior Perfumes, showcases the highlights of Christian Dior’s
life, as well as his most famous olfactory creations.
Inspired by the Belle Époque and the floral world, Christian Dior created a return to French elegance and a rediscovered
femininity. Flowers remained at the centre of his creations: fashion lines and patterns with evocative names (Muguet,
Corolle, Rose) [Lily of the Valley, Corolla, Rose] and soliflore perfumes (Diorissimo) or with a floral bouquet (Miss Dior).
Christian Dior forged honest and special links with the art, journalistic and financial worlds from the 1920s on. This
network of friendships was part of his personal development and the immediate success of his fashion house.
From the mid-30s he was drawn to the South of France and particularly to the Pays de Grasse, where he deepened his
knowledge of scented plants thanks to his meeting with the perfumer, Edmond Roudnitska. A refugee in the Var with his
family during the Second World War, he regularly came back to see his sister who had moved to Callian before becoming
the proprietor of the Château de la Colle Noire in Montauroux in 1951.
A year after the renovation, in 2016, of the Château de la Colle Noire, the final holiday location of Christian Dior, the
exhibition, “Christian Dior – Esprit de Parfums” principally deals with the attraction the South of France had for Christian
Dior through its light and the richness of its exceptional scented flowers. The exhibition which will be presented at
the International Museum of Perfumery from 16 May to 1 October, 2017 will be a chance to present to the public the
museum’s own major resource of perfume bottles and posters as well as the treasures of the historic collections of the
House of Dior.
These works will be significantly enriched by loans from institutions and private individuals which help contextualise and
broaden the monographic perspective of this exhibition. Interactive museographic equipment will also contextualise the
collections on display and further broaden the experience to all five senses: videos, interactive terminals, olfactory and
tactile points.
Useful Information:
Full price: €6
Reduced price (students over 18, groups of 10 or more): €3
Free to under 18s, jobseekers, disabled persons, ICOM holders
Exhibition tour for visually impaired people with the aid of specially designed equipment.
Musée International de la Parfumerie
2 bd du jeu de Ballon – Grasse
Tel: +33 (0) 4 97 05 58 11
www.museesdegrasse.com
Facebook @MuseeInternationaldelaParfumerie et Twitter @MIPGrasse
Grasse
Le goût de l’essentiel
Press Contact:
Muriel Courché
Tel: +33 (0) 4 97 05 22 03
Mobile: +33 (0) 6 68 93 02 42
E-mail: [email protected]