Cartier dazzles with milhazes's 'aquarium' mobile
Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes, renowned for her vibrant, swirling canvases, has traded the easel for a breath-taking mobile, a shimmering testament to the intersection of Art and luxury. The result? A museum-worthy piece now captivating visitors at Cartier’s Boston boutique – a dazzling spectacle dubbed 'Aquarium'.
A symphony of stones: milhazes's new medium
The mobile, standing eight feet tall and comprised of fifteen cascading strands, isn't merely decorative. It’s a meticulous curation of precious, semi-precious, and ornamental stones, each chosen with the discerning eye of an artist who usually works in paint and collage. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, amethysts, opals, Akoya pearls, coral, black jade, and turquoise—a veritable gem-filled desert—are meticulously arranged to create a dynamic, ever-shifting display of color and light. “Until recently, sculpture for me was only the spatial development of an object,” Milhazes notes, explaining the unique challenge this project presented.
The two-year collaboration with Cartier artisans, part of the jewelry maison’s 'Art Meets Artisan' project, began in 2010. The project’s premise is simple yet compelling: invite contemporary artists to reimagine Cartier’s existing collection of unused stones. But bringing Milhazes’s vision to life required an unprecedented degree of precision and craftsmanship.
Milhazes describes the final piece as possessing “fascinating elements dancing in the space with different rhythms.” Indeed, viewing 'Aquarium' offers a dual experience – a close-up appreciation of individual gemstone details, and a broader, vibrant luminosity from afar, evoking “an aquarium from a dream world.” The mobile has already graced Cartier boutiques in Miami, Paris, and New York before arriving in Boston.
Beyond the canvas: a first for milhazes
While Milhazes’s artwork, including paintings, drawings, and collages, commands recognition in prestigious institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern in London – she was the first Brazilian artist to showcase a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum last year—this sculpture marks a significant departure. Her signature focus on color balance, she says, served as the foundational principle for this ambitious project. The right combination, the crucial harmony, is what ultimately defines her compositions.
The mobile will remain on display at the Cartier boutique at 28 Newbury Street through May 17, offering a rare opportunity to witness the fusion of artistic vision and artisanal mastery. It's a spectacle of color and form, proving that even the most established artists can find new avenues to express their creativity.