New Meets Old, Christie's and AirParfum combine art and perfume in olfactory exhibition

New Meets Old, an olfactory exhibition curated by Artphilia for Christie's in collaboration with AirParfum and with the support of Penhaligon's.

On view from 1-7 December 2023, this olfactory exhibition curated by Artphilia focuses on the painting Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast by Julius Porcellis (1610-1645) which will be on sale at auction during Christie's Classical Week. This experience represents a new way of making sense of the old masters, inviting the public to immerse themselves deeply in the painting through the sense of smell, connecting the artist's thoughts with the viewers' emotions and memories.

For the first time in the UK: Christie's links old masters of art with the sense of smell

Artphilia founder Antje Kiewell has collaborated with perfumer Camille Latron, who has developed three fragrances associated with pictorial references within Porcellis' paintings.

On 4 December the public is invited to enjoy Christie's Lates event, when there will be a talk in collaboration with Penhaligon's and the immersive performance 500 Years by environmental artist David Cass. Combining sight, sound and smell, this performance draws parallels to our climate-challenged times from within Porcellis' painting: imagining sea level rise over five centuries.
The event will feature violinists Aisling O'Dea, Emma Purslow and Anita Vedres.

Through painting

Seventeenth-century Dutch maritime painters were masters of air, light and water, but they also used their talent to depict the world through political allegories and mystical allusions on canvas.

Julius Porcellis 's work depicts a two-masted ship trapped in a raging sea close to shore. An imposing boulder in the foreground is perhaps a metaphor for humanity's struggle against the power of nature. The water is a wintry blue-grey, similar to the threatening tone of the sky.

A lifeboat can also be seen struggling to reach the shore, where a group of figures point to the boat, warmly illuminated by a clearing in the clouds. The allegorical scene could refer to potential danger rather than certain danger.

This work could have moral interpretations for 17th-century audiences. The ship as a symbol was open to different observations, from the "Ship of State" to the "Ship of Life". Metaphorically, it would remind the viewer that the safe management of a ship requires vigilance, wisdom, caution and prudence and, in the case of the "Ship of Life", the guidance of God.

It is the sense of smell that allows the viewer to experience the drama behind the painting, bringing it here and now to explore, question and connect the work with their own emotions and memories, as only smell allows us to do.

3 fragrances for olfactory exposure using AirParfum technology

The AirParfum technology, installed at Christie's gallery, emits dry perfumed molecules, allowing the public to smell an unlimited number of fragrances, without saturating the sense of smell and without risk to the integrity of any work of art, as is done in successful exhibitions at the Prado Museum in Madrid from 2022.

The three perfumes are:

The Tempest.

This fragrance, created by Camille Latron, is inspired by the storm. The air releases salty and aquatic notes that mingle with earthy nuances of algae and lichen, contrasting with a light note of ozone, a brief interlude, until the crest of the waves. The scent electrifies the senses, stimulating and provocative, connecting us to the untamed power of the ocean.

Caught in Ocean's Grip

This fragrance reminds us of the sea's ability to make any ship, large or small, feel the power of its strength. The wooden planks of the ship bend and swell, creak and shudder. Olfactorily, they give off a clean woody scent with the nuances of a vessel that has made legendary voyages on the high seas. The accords are the sum of a combination of exotic woods and white musk that produces a final powdery, enveloping sensation. Are we witnessing a shipwreck? The possibility of a terrifying death for the sailors hangs in the air?

Rocky Shore (Rocky Shore)

The heavy ship is pushed relentlessly towards the rocky shore, while a lifeboat makes a desperate attempt to reach the shore, leaving both boats trapped and in danger. To culminate the olfactory story, the perfumer has chosen a sea foam accord, conceived as a salty vapour to which a fresh seaweed absolute has been added. Cypress absolute and cedar leaf essence elegantly balance the iodised heart of the fragrance. A mineral, enveloping note of ambergris, reminiscent of wave-tossed rocks, gives way to the tender sweetness of neroli flower, evoking hope and calm after the storm.

News

New Meets Old, olfactory exhibition at Christie's

New Meets Old, an olfactory exhibition curated by Artphilia for Christie's in collaboration with AirParfum and with the support of Penhaligon's.

Through painting

3 fragrances for olfactory exposure using AirParfum technology

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