The largest Cartier exhibition ever staged in Australia is now open at NGV International in Melbourne!
The exhibition traces the evolution of the maison, from its transformation at the turn of the twentieth century by brothers Louis, Pierre, and Jacques Cartier, grandsons of founder Louis-François Cartier. The brothers established branches in Paris, London, and New York, creating the first internationally recognised jewellery house and bringing design and manufacturing in-house. King Edward VII granted Cartier its first Royal Warrant in 1904, calling the house “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers.” Its reputation later broadened through the devotion of leading figures from cinema, music, and fashion.
Among the most striking highlights is a collection of more than 30 tiaras. The exhibition opens with the Manchester tiara, commissioned in 1903 by Consuelo Montagu, Dowager Duchess of Manchester, and closes with a spectacular display of 24 tiaras in the final gallery. The Scroll tiara from 1902, worn by Lady Clementine Churchill at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and later by Rihanna on the cover of W magazine in 2016, is on view. Two turquoise and diamond tiaras belonging to the Langhorne sisters, Nancy Astor and Phyllis Brand, will be shown together for the first time in decades. The Sun tiara of 1907 holds a 32-carat fancy intense yellow diamond at its centre, while the Art Deco Halo tiara of 1934 was inspired by ancient Egypt and owned by the Begum Aga Khan III.
The jewels come with stories attached. A 1951 necklace gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by Mike Todd features seven Burmese rubies set in a diamond lattice. Taylor described it as “like the sun, lit up and made of red fire.” Grace Kelly’s jewels are on loan from the collections of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco, including a multi-strand pearl and coral necklace and a gold poodle brooch recalling her pet poodle Oliver. Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba, an important early client, is represented through necklaces and bodice ornaments she wore on and off stage, alongside an autographed 1902 photograph owned by Pierre Cartier.
Princess Margaret’s diamond rose clip brooch, worn at her sister’s coronation, is on display. Wallis Simpson’s jewels feature prominently, including her Flamingo brooch, a Bib necklace set with diamonds, amethysts, and turquoise, and the Panther sapphire clip brooch with its 152.35-carat cabochon sapphire. Mexican actor María Félix is represented by the Snake necklace with 2,473 diamonds and the Crocodile necklace with one form in fancy yellow diamonds and the other in emeralds. The iconic Tutti Frutti jewels include the most spectacular example ever created by Cartier: an Indian-inspired necklace commissioned by Daisy Fellowes in 1936, alongside a bandeau tiara owned by Countess Edwina Mountbatten.
Timepieces, opals, and archival materials, including original design drawings, sketchbooks, and photographs, round out the exhibition. The design of the show is a collaboration between the NGV, Studio Sabine Marcelis, and CLOUD, two Rotterdam-based practices, with an original soundtrack by Japanese electronic artist Ai Yamamoto and Finnish composer Erkki Veltheim. Works are drawn from the V&A, the Cartier Collection, the British Museum, Qatar Museums, Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, the Collections of HSH the Prince of Monaco, the Al Thani Collection, and private lenders. Tickets are available via the NGV website. The exhibition runs until 4 October 2026.
