Cartier in Motion celebrates the bold and the beautiful

Sir Norman Foster’s latest curation at the Design Centre showcases the brilliance of the French brand’s iconic designs, writes Josie Goodbody

Whereas most of London was melting in the metropolis, the flowers at Chelsea wilting, while looking pleadingly across the Embankment at the Thames; the bold and the beautiful were cooling off in Kensington’s six-month-old Design Centre. The Sir Norman Foster curated exhibition, Cartier in Motion, explores the cool-minded creativity of the iconic French brand’s watchmaking, from a design perspective.

Open to the public from today (25 May) until everyone who is anyone leaves London for even warmer climes on 28^th July, last night the exhibition’s hosts invited some of Cartier’s biggest fans for a slick cocktail party in the grand atrium.

The exhibition showcases 170 exhibits, loaned primarily from the Cartier Collection as well as Monaco’s Princely Palace Collection – Grace Kelly and her husband were big Cartier clients, her engagement ring was created by the brand, as was fellow American Andy Warhol (photographed wearing a Tank and holding a dachshund) and fellow actress Catherine Deneuve (pictured with her Baignoire model).

Le Bourget’s Musée de l’Air and the Rockefeller Center also sent items which form part of the Cartier in Motion exhibition’s six themes including The Evolution of Paris and its influence, Louis Cartier connections with Santos-Dumont and the birth of the modern wristwatch.

Alongside exquisite examples of iconic Cartier wrist and pocket watches, a selection of beautiful diamond jewellery, enamelled clocks and photographs was a replica of the Tour Eiffel and a model of the biplane Santos-Dumont flew around the real tower.

Those enjoying cocktails at sunset after the hottest day of the year so far were: the former CEO of Cartier UK, Arnaud Bamberger with his wife, Carla, Laurent Feniou (the current CEO), the exhibit’s curator and architect Sir Norman Foster; Lady Kitty Spencer and the Viscountess Weymouth; the Earl and Countess of Woolton, Vogue’s watch and jewellery editor – Carol Woolton; fashionistas Carolina Issa and Roksanda Illincic; couture cobbler Sandra Choi and Alice Black, the director of the Design Museum.