Italian luxury jewelry house Pomellato will hold its first exhibition in Paris at the Palais de Tokyo on June 24. This marks almost 60 years since the Milan-based brand reshaped the conventions of European jewelery design.
The exhibition, titled Pomellato, Le Joaillier Révolutionnaire, runs until July 20 and coincides with Paris Haute Couture Week. Pomellato also plans to unveil its new high jewelry collection, starting with a private viewing on June 23rd.
The retrospective was curated by Alba Cappellieri, professor and head of jewelry design at Politecnico di Milano. The exhibition is not organized chronologically, but rather focuses on the major changes Pomellato has introduced since its founding in 1967.
Sections covering imagery, craftsmanship, sculptural forms, and jewelry each tell part of the story. The key to all of this is Pomellato’s deliberate rejection of the formality and symbolism that characterized high jewelery in the post-war decades.
The exhibition features archival and contemporary works along with images from photo campaigns from the 1970s to the 1990s. Photographers represented include Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Albert Watson, Horst P. Horst and Lord Snowdon, many of whom photographed for Pomellato at the peak of their careers.
CEO Sabina Belli describes the project as a living archive rather than a traditional retrospective, framing it as a dialogue between the heritage and the house’s current direction.
In explaining Pomellato’s identity, creative director Vincenzo Castaldo emphasized the power of its photographic heritage, noting that the almost brutal environment of the Palais de Tokyo was a fitting counterpoint to the jewels on display.
The Kering-owned brand has long positioned itself around contemporary notions of femininity and everyday luxury. The Paris exhibition represents the most important institutional statement to date.
