Cartier ★★★★ Victoria & Albert Museum | Apr 12 - Nov 16, 2025


At the beginning of the 20th century, the three grandsons of the jeweller, Louis-François Cartier, set out to create a global brand. They established branches of the family business in New York, London and Paris, and while this exhibition celebrates their company's craftsmanship and imagination, it also presents what has been a masterpiece of marketing. From the beginning, the Cartiers courted the royal and the rich in order to establish their brand, and they cleverly moved with the times to embrace the patronage of film stars and pop idols when these nouveaux riches became the emerging market. Of the over 350 objects on display, we have pieces created for several royal families and the likes of the Duchess of Windsor and Princess Margaret. There are pieces worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and more contemporary celebrities such Rihanna and Kim Kardashian. From garish tiaras and gaudy broaches to the more elegant tank watch and popular 1969 Love bracelet, Cartier's creations show the influence of various cultures and fads. The exhibition has products referencing influences from China and Persia and extends to some curious timepieces from the swinging '60s. Styles range from the sophistication of Deco to the silliness of Tutti Frutti, and there is much in-between that is intended to awe and impress. Surviving enormous social and cultural shifts, the company has produced extravagantly immoderate luxury goods for the wealthy, and with its "S" department, established in 1925, lower-priced products for the aspirational. With pioneering marketing techniques such as loans to participants at high-profile events and strategic film placements, the company has brilliantly created a widespread market for its products that have been enormously successful. While the intent of this exhibition is undoubtedly to inspire appreciation for the craftsmanship and aesthetic refinement of the jeweller’s art, in an increasingly oligarchic world, it is probably unsurprising that it also gives rise to some of the larger questions about conspicuous consumption and income disparity, if not about the human obsession with, and investment of value in, shiny objects.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Image: Mountbatten Bandeau in Tutti Frutti style, English Art Works for Cartier London, 1928. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and platinum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL, UK

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