From the start, Francis Kurkdjian – who quickly earned recognition for the success of Le Male, a fragrance he created for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995 – wanted to bring the art of fragrance creation to new dimensions. With Marc Chaya, CEO and co-founder of Maison Francis Kurkdjian in 2009, he explored perfume’s stories and modes of expression beyond perfumery’s traditions and commercial constraints. His perfumes are sculptures of the invisible, full-fledged works of art whose substance can be drawn into the lungs.

An olfactory promenade

Fragrance in every shape and form, including the most unexpected, is the exhibition’s common thread. Visitors are invited to embark on astonishing olfactory experiences while rethinking the role played by perfume in how we smell, see and understand art and the world. Each creation, installation and video leads to the discovery of a different scent. Some are diffused in the rooms, while others can be sniffed individually via automatic diffusers and “fragrance blotters” that visitors can take with them to prolong their olfactory experience.