Located in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, amidst abundant nature, is the Shiseido Art House. Designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, one of Japan's leading architects, the space is deeply beautiful, even on sunny days, creating a space that offers visitors enjoyment even outside of the exhibits.
The Art House is hosting a unique exhibition, "A Century of Perfume Bottles." For the first time since its opening, the entire collection of approximately 200 pieces, spanning from Art Nouveau to Art Deco and the present day, is open to the public.
The current "Late Period" exhibition focuses on the works of René Lalique (1860-1945), a French craftsman active from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. This is a rare opportunity to experience the elegance of these works. This vast and valuable collection stems from the vision of Shiseido's first president, Shinzo Fukuhara, who considered cosmetics to be "works of art" capable of generating special emotional value that appeals to the human senses of smell, touch, and sight. He placed particular importance on perfume manufacturing, a symbol of this. Regarding Shiseido's vast and quintessential perfume bottle collection, "I had always hoped to one day present this collection of numerous perfume bottles, which have made their mark on the history of perfume bottles, to the public in this location. However, because these bottles are so culturally valuable and extremely delicate, it took much longer than expected to verify the historical facts before they could be exhibited," said Toshiyuki Maruge, Curator and Counselor at Shiseido Art House. One of the highlights of this exhibition is "Their Souls" (1914, René Lalique) by D'Orsay. Said to have been inspired by Russian-style tiaras, this piece is characterized by its characteristically decorative design, and its stunning beauty blends East and West. You can see the changes over the years in the design of this perfume bottle, and it is sure to be considered one of its iconic works.
In addition to the collection on display this time, which also conveys this cultural history, Shiseido has many other precious fragrance works hidden away.
We were given a special introduction to one of the collections, carefully stored in the corporate museum adjacent to the Art House: Plum Blossom Oil (released in 1921). "Ume" was one of the brands that supported Shiseido's early perfume business. It also reflects the company's first president, Shinzo Fukuhara's, approach to cosmetics. Cosmetics simultaneously engage three of the five senses: smell, which pertains to the scent of the liquid inside; touch, which pertains to touching the bottle and feeling the liquid inside; and sight, which pertains to the design of the packaging and label, the color of the liquid inside, and the shape of the bottle. This means that cosmetics "can evoke a certain special emotion" (Source: "A Century of Perfume Bottles," exhibition catalog, p. 24, "Why did Shinzo Fukuhara place importance on perfume manufacturing?"). It may also be seen as one of the brands that gave birth to the beautiful genes that later became the "Hanatsubaki" perfume. This exhibition, tracing the history and evolution of the beautiful culture of perfume bottles, offers the joy of experiencing the essence of Shiseido's culture. .jp/art-house/
http://www.shiseidogroup.jp/art-house/
"A Century of Perfume Bottles - Focusing on Baccarat and René Lalique"
Shiseido Art House (Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
Second half: René Lalique: Visionary Fantasy - Now on view until December 13th (Sunday)
Closed: Mondays (If Monday is a public holiday, closed the following day)
Opening hours: 10am - 5pm (last admission 4:30pm)
http://www.shiseidogroup.jp/art-house/
Gallery talks by curators will be held from 2pm on November 27th and 28th, and December 11th and 12th. In addition, "Memories of Fragrance - The Imagination of Perfumers" is on view until December 23rd at the Shiseido Corporate Museum next to the Shiseido Art House.
