With Love, From Cartier

Cartier rolled out the red carpet on April 30 for dozens of celebrities and socialites, including Demi Moore, Anne Hathaway, and Elton John, who came to its historic Fifth Avenue flagship store to celebrate the brand’s 100^th anniversary in America — and kick off a surprisingly entertaining centennial exhibition.

Unlike many brand-sponsored exhibitions, this is a dynamic presentation of jewelry, watches, and objects combined with images, notes, and other archival elements that tell a wonderful tale of the brand’s rich history in America. The New York exhibition is open to the public on the store’s second level from May 1 to 21 and will move to Cartier’s Beverly Hills store from June 1 to 14. It is a fascinating look at the French brand’s intimate relationships with notables from President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Vanderbilt family to celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich. While the exhibition shows the brand’s prowess in jewelry and watch design, it also reveals Cartier’s sense of whimsy. Among these amusing items is a Cartier clock encased in a whiskey bottle made during Prohibition in 1930. Another famous clock featuring four time zones was made for President Roosevelt at the end of World War II. And, a golden apple was made at the request of New York Governor Hugh Carey in 1976 when the city faced economic and social turmoil. It was later auctioned off with proceeds going to help the city. Among the 100 pieces on display is jewelry from Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, along with a tank watch formerly owned by Truman Capote. A caption alongside the tank watch recounts how a reporter admired the writer’s watch, to which Capote responded: “You can keep it. I have seven more at home.”

One of Cartier’s most iconic designs, the Love design, was created in its New York design studio in 1970 and is being celebrated with a new commemorative design and a coffee-table book entitled Cartier I Love You, featuring an assemblage of new and archived photos organized by photographer Bruce Weber. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to ServiceNation, a nonprofit coalition that inspires volunteer efforts across America. “America embraced Cartier,” says Bernard Fornas, president and CEO of Cartier International. “And now it’s our turn to give back to America, a country and a culture that is so intimately involved with Cartier.”