Style and Daring

Curated by Ana Elena Mallet, with museography by architect Frida Escobedo, the exhibition marked Cartier’s return to Mexico 24 years after a first presentation at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes. Its narrative path brought visitors through a study of Cartier’s design, showing a contemporary view of the Maison without losing sight of its rich, complex past. The pieces were shown as art, long-lasting and of an evolving history that remains alive.

Research began in the Cartier Archives, with a goal of revealing the Maison’s creative process and telling the story of characters who acquired and wore these incomparable pieces, in particular those with a connection to Latin America.

The most influential amongst these is the Mexican silver screen diva María Félix, an absolute symbol of national elegance and a loyal devotee of the Maison’s creations. Nicknamed La Doña, she was well known for her strong personality, charm, and a taste for the extravagant that is evident in the jewelry she commissioned from Cartier, particularly the reptiles that defined much of the Maison’s approach to crafting figurative Flora & Fauna.

Chief amongst these is a  serpent necklace: the result of months and months of work, the 1968 creation constitutes one of the most remarkable pieces in Cartier history. Its body is fully articulated, allowing it to coil delicately around the neck. An impressive array of 2,473 diamonds, combined with the brilliance of platinum and gold, evokes the reptile’s lustrous skin, while its belly is subtly decorated in red, green and black enamel.

In 1975, her passion for reptiles led her to commission another spectacular jewelry item, once again combining technical expertise and a powerful design. Legend has it that María brought a live baby crocodile to the Cartier workshops in Paris so that the designers could create a piece that perfectly mimicked nature.

The outcome was a necklace composed of two fully articulated crocodiles that can be worn together or separately as brooches, or even displayed as decorative objects in their own right. Represented in stunning realism, the animals are adorned, respectively, with 1,023 yellow diamonds and 1,060 emeralds.

Also represented in the exhibition were further Latin American figures whose timeless legacy influenced the evolution of Cartier style, including Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, whose request to Louis Cartier saw the creation of the namesake watch in 1904, as well as José Yves Limantour, Porfirio Díaz’s minister of Finance.

The exhibition confirmed Cartier’s significance in the cultural landscape of Latin America, as well as the world of jewelry and design. The pieces exhibited are design objects, consciously constructed with mastery and excellency.

They are a testimony of Cartier’s heritage, its historic importance, and its relevance today. This heritage continues to inspire the Maison’s new generations of designers, who pay tribute to it, keep it alive in its distinctive pioneering spirit, and reimagine it for the present and the future.