Cartier. "Carp" clock with retrograde hand, 1925 © Nick Welsh, Collection Cartier © Cartier
SHANGHAI.- As part of the Cartier Collection tour, the Moment - Eternal Cartier Time Art Exhibition is its 28th stop. Just like a trip through time, the exhibition centers around watch-making and displays more than 180 masterpieces of the craft spanning more than a century.
The exhibition provides the public with a rare chance to explore Cartier’s history, development of different styles, and aesthetic designs, through multimedia video presentations of Cartier collection artwork, masterpieces by experts, the essence of watchmaking, complicated movements, and innovative technology, as well as live demonstrations by watchmakers.
Ms. Gong Yan, director of the Shanghai Power Station of Art says, "When we turn our gaze towards the universe, what we see is its past. This is the world that Time displays to us. What then do we see in a timepiece? This is the riddle that the exhibition will decipher for us."
Curating the event is world-famous designer TokujinYoshioka, awarded Best Designer of the Year twice in a row by I.D. Yoshioka's designs are a seamless blend of modernity and eastern aesthetics. Many of his important works are permanent exhibits at famous art centers such as MoMA and the Centre Georges Pompidou. PSA Director Gong Yan is full of anticipation. "He comes from a country that has realized the pinnacle of purity and incorporated Time into its work. Yoshioka's interpretation of time has fed my curiosity for this exhibition."
Since its first exhibition in 1989, the Cartier Collection has travelled to authoritative cultural and art institutions across the globe. The collection has been housed at MoMA, the British Museum, and the Grand Palais among other places. The collection has been a driving force in the spread of French art and culture across the world. The collection also has a strong connection to China, having been exhibited at the Shanghai Museum, the Palace Museum in Beijing, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and the Liaoning Provincial Museum. On the 50th anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between France and the PRC the Cartier Collection is returning to China. As the Chinese public enjoys the time art on display, we also hope to educate about the evolution of and inter-cultural impact of western timepiece art. This will act as a bridge of cultures between France and China.
Cartier. Enameled watch on chatelaine, 1874 © Nick Welsh, Collection Cartier © Cartier
Cartier. Egyptian Clock© Nick Welsh, Collection Cartier © Cartier
Cartier. Model A Mystery Clock, 1914 © Nick Welsh, Collection Cartier © Cartier
Cartier. Portique Mystery Clock, 1923 © Nick Welsh, Collection Cartier © Cartier