Tue, 9.6.2026
7 PM
7 PM
Opening
Opening GLANZSTÜCKE
Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry × Masterpieces from the MAK Collection
Tue, 9.6.2026 7 pm — 10 pm
MAK – Museum of Applied Arts
© Graphic Design: Bueronardin
© MAK/Georg Mayer
© Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
© MAK/Georg Mayer
© Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
Previous Image
In the exhibition GLANZSTÜCKE, unique and rarely seen objects from all sections of the MAK collection engage in a dialogue with jewelry art spanning the 120-year history of Van Cleef & Arpels. The High Jewelry Maison and the MAK were brought together by a shared passion for outstanding design, exceptional craftsmanship, and visionary ideas.
Following the wedding of Alfred Van Cleef and Esther Arpels, known as Estelle, the Maison was founded in 1906 on Paris’s Place Vendôme. The MAK traces its origins to 1863. As the world’s second-oldest museum of applied arts, it spans the spectrum from design, architecture, and fashion to contemporary art, embodying a vibrant connection between past, present, and future.
The guiding principle of excellence is illustrated by over 500 exhibits. Six themes emerged during their selection: Wanderlust, Architecture, Rhythmic Designs, On Stage, Metamorphoses, and Nature & Cosmos. The scenography explores these themes in the form of a labyrinth and guides visitors through an impressive dialogue that reveals surprising parallels. These correspondences are found in forms, colors, and motifs that often draw on similar sources of inspiration. With the exhibition GLANZSTÜCKE: Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry × Masterpieces from the MAK Collection, visitors embark on a journey through time and discovery across the entire spectrum of decorative arts.
Following the wedding of Alfred Van Cleef and Esther Arpels, known as Estelle, the Maison was founded in 1906 on Paris’s Place Vendôme. The MAK traces its origins to 1863. As the world’s second-oldest museum of applied arts, it spans the spectrum from design, architecture, and fashion to contemporary art, embodying a vibrant connection between past, present, and future.
The guiding principle of excellence is illustrated by over 500 exhibits. Six themes emerged during their selection: Wanderlust, Architecture, Rhythmic Designs, On Stage, Metamorphoses, and Nature & Cosmos. The scenography explores these themes in the form of a labyrinth and guides visitors through an impressive dialogue that reveals surprising parallels. These correspondences are found in forms, colors, and motifs that often draw on similar sources of inspiration. With the exhibition GLANZSTÜCKE: Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry × Masterpieces from the MAK Collection, visitors embark on a journey through time and discovery across the entire spectrum of decorative arts.
Guest Curator, Van Cleef & Arpels:
Alexandrine Maviel-Sonet, Patrimony and Exhibitions Director
MAK Curator:
Anne-Katrin Rossberg; Curator, MAK Metal Collection and Wiener Werkstätte Archive
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Admission to the opening is free.
The exhibition GLANZSTÜCKE is open until 10 pm.
A ticket is required to visit all the other exhibitions (e.g. CHRISTOPH SCHLINGENSIEF).
mak.at/tickets
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The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive catalog with contributions by experts from the museum and the High Jewelry Maison. It will be edited by the MAK and designed by Bueronardin. German/English, 368 pages with numerous color illustrations. MAK, Vienna/Hannibal Books, Veurne, Belgium 2026. Available in the MAK Design Shop and online at MAKdesignshop.at
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During our exhibition openings or events, photographs and videos are regularly taken and recorded by the MAK and other parties and published i.a. on the website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) of the MAK and other parties. Persons participating in exhibition openings and events or entering the MAK’s premises thereby give their consent to the publication of such photographs and videos, without remuneration and without the persons concerned expressly granting such permission.