Cartier in Motion

Cartier in Motion curated by architect Sir Norman Foster, explored Cartier's deep creative ties to the history of flight, design, and modern society at the turn of the twentieth century. Its central narrative revolved around Louis Cartier's personal connections with pioneering figures of the age — most notably aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, for whom he designed one of the world's first wristwatches, and engineer Gustave Eiffel. Spanning over 170 exhibits, the show moved through six key themes: the evolution of Paris and its influence on Cartier's design language, Louis Cartier's relationships with the pioneers of his era, the birth of the modern wristwatch, accessories crafted for a glamorous interwar lifestyle, and the evolution of both Cartier's watch designs and its craftsmanship. Drawn from the Cartier Collection, the Monaco Princely Palace collection, the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris, and the Rockefeller Center in New York, the exhibits were complemented by archival material offering rare insight into the designers' research process.