Art and Aroma: France in the 1700s
About this Event
The big picture:
Sophisticated...seductive...classic. The phrase "French perfume" often evokes these adjectives. But how did France become known as the center of Western perfumery?
This genre-blending gallery tour will illustrate France’s fragrant history in the 1700s through works of art and design in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, spotlighting some of the events and individuals behind perfume's rise as one of France's signature luxury goods.
Experiencing these spaces and objects as a small group (12 attendees), we’ll learn about the perfumed past while we simultaneously indulge our eyes and noses.
Full admission to the Met is included in this ticket, so you can stay afterwards to visit other exhibitions and galleries until the building closes at 9 PM (Friday hours).
The fine print:
- No refunds will be issued for tickets to this event. However, you’re welcome to pass your ticket along to a friend if you’re not able to use it.
- Unfortunately, individual Met memberships/discounts can not be applied to this independently organized tour.
- We will be meeting in the Great Hall (main entrance; enter at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street). Please arrive early to allow time for security checkpoints, coatcheck, and potential crowds at the Met!
- Please note that we will be on our feet for the majority of this tour, so comfortable shoes are a must!
- We will be smelling pre-scented paper blotters together. We will not be spraying or otherwise diffusing any fragrance or other wet materials inside the building.
- All attendees will be expected to follow the Met’s Visitor Guidelines.
- You will receive an email with confirmation details after you register.
About your guide:
Jessica Murphy is a museum professional with a passion for perfume. She holds a Ph.D. in art history and has worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. She has also been writing about fragrance since 2007 at Now Smell This and her own blog, Perfume Professor. Since 2015 she has taught and lectured about the history and culture of fragrance through organizations including the Brooklyn Brainery, the Institute for Art and Olfaction, Morbid Anatomy, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and the Timken Museum (San Diego). You can follow her on Instagram @tinselcreation.
What people are saying:
"A fragrant trip through time and space." --- Daisy B, Manhattan
"This literally brought Versailles to life through fragrance." --- Keyonna P, Queens
Image:
Detail of Perfume-burner supported by baby tritons and garlanded with flowers. French, 18th century. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906. 07.225.457a
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 50.00
