The jeweller Chaumet celebrates an ode to nature at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Paris

Nature has always been an essential source of inspiration for the great jeweller. Here, it acts as a link between the past, present and future of the company, between contemporary creations and antique jewellery.

Throughout the exhibition, Chaumet's view of nature will intersect with that of artists. Undergrowth, wild flowers, foliage - throughout its history, which began in 1780 in the heart of Paris, on the Place Vendôme, Chaumet has drawn on this delicate universe. Emblematic creations such as the diadem in the shape of ears of wheat set with diamonds designed for Empress Josephine or the Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewellery inspired by garden flowers and foliage motifs are part of the rich heritage of the jeweller's archives and represent the soul of the house.

In its "Végétal" scenography, Chaumet has chosen to illustrate once again its inseparable link with nature. The exhibition at the Beaux-Arts de Paris will be directed by Marc Jeanson, former director of the Herbarium of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris and current botanical director of the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco (a garden purchased in 1980 by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé and now a tourist attraction belonging to the Majorelle Foundation).

The exhibition will include more than 400 paintings, photographs, sculptures and furniture pieces; this exceptional selection will be presented alongside 80 jewellery creations from the Chaumet archives. The exhibition will be enhanced by an original scenography inspired by different natural landscapes: the forest, the vegetable garden, the cave or the reed bed. Works by the impressionist Claude Monet, Giuseppe Arcimboldo - a master of portraits created by playing with the world of fruit - and Gustave Courbet will be on display, as well as masterpieces by contemporary artists such as the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

Two years of work were necessary to present this exclusive exhibition, and several major international art institutions contributed to its richness by lending exceptional pieces. Among these public and private lenders are the Louvre, the British Museum, the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris and the Albion Art Collection in Tokyo.