Culturebox reports that a new museum dedicated to perfumery will open in Paris this December. The interactive museum is said to situate itself "at the intersection of art and science," allowing visitors to discover the creative process and the power of smell.
Luxury and the Art of Living
Le Grand Musée du Parfum, as the new institution is to be known, will be located in a 1,400 square meter mansion set within a large garden at 73 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The building was previously home to the Christian Lacroix fashion house. Unlike the museums run by Fragonard in Grasse and Paris, the new institution is not linked to any one brand.
Privately financed, the museum is supported by the Syndicat français de la parfumerie (SFP), which represents the interests of 66 French perfume houses.
"An ambassador for French luxury houses and the French art of living, fragrance is one of the crowning jewels in the French economy," say museum organizers. "Yet, despite its international influence, French perfumery has not previously been on display in Paris; there has never been an emblematic space worthy of its true measure."
The museum, which "will be based on the latest technology," "will examine three major periods in the history of perfume — from the Egypt of the Pharaohs to the present— inviting visitors to discover a unique olfactory collection consisting of more than 60 scents," say the organizers.
The exhibit has been designed by U.S. company International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), which specializes in the creation of the flavors and fragrances used in a wide range of consumer products.
The museum is led by businessman Guillaume de Maussion and a scientific and cultural advisory board that includes former Hermès nose Jean-Claude Ellena; Sylvaine Delacourte, Director of Perfume Development at Guerlain; and Patricia de Nicolai, founder of the eponymous house and president of the Osmothèque in Versailles.
Source: Culturebox