Van Cleef & Arpels is marking a defining chapter of its design history with a major exhibition in Tokyo titled Timeless Art Deco With Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry. Open until January 18, 2026, the showcase is staged at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, a former aristocratic residence and one of Japan’s most significant examples of art deco architecture.
The exhibition arrives at a meaningful moment, aligning with the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. That landmark event shaped the global art deco movement and proved pivotal for Van Cleef & Arpels, earning the maison its first major international recognition with a Grand Prize.
Spread across the museum’s historic main building and its annex, the exhibition brings together nearly 250 jewellery pieces, timepieces, and precious objects, alongside archival materials that trace the evolution of technique and style. Highlights are drawn from Van Cleef & Arpels’ own heritage collection as well as private lenders, offering rare public access to works typically unseen.
The main galleries focus on creations from the 1910s through the 1930s, charting the maison’s transition from the organic curves of art nouveau to the refined symmetry and diamond-led “white jewellery” aesthetic that defined the art deco era. One of the centrepieces is the 1924 Entwined Flowers, Red and White Roses bracelet, a ruby and diamond creation that exemplifies how floral inspiration was reimagined through structured geometry.
In the annex, attention shifts from form to technique. This section explores the craftsmanship innovations that became integral to the maison’s identity, including the development of the Mystery Set, complex goldwork, and transformable jewellery concepts. Together, these elements reveal how art deco not only influenced Van Cleef & Arpels’ visual language but also shaped its approach to technical mastery.
Set within an architectural landmark of the period itself, the exhibition offers a layered dialogue between jewellery, history, and space, underscoring how art deco continues to inform the maison’s design philosophy a century later.