Past Exhibition

Les Parfums Japonais

Les Parfums Japonais

November 2 (Wed) — December 25(Sun), 2016

The Shiseido Gallery is pleased to announce that it will host an exhibition of Shiseido perfume bottles titled “Les Parfums Japonais — A Century of Perfume Design” from November 2 (Wed) through December 25 (Sun), 2016. This exhibition, which focuses on Shiseido’s bid to create “products as art,” is part of the fourth installment of Shiseido’s “Beauty Crossing Ginza”* cultural dispatch project.

* Beauty Crossing Ginza is a program begun in 2016 to dispatch cultural information on particular themes from four of Shiseido’s Ginza-located properties, including the Ginza Communication Space, the Shiseido Gallery, the Shiseido Parlour, and Shiseido The Ginza.

By the late 1910s Shiseido had launched its cosmetics business, and its first president, Shinzo Fukuhara, set his sights on the goal of producing original Japanese perfumes which would be in no way inferior to their European counterparts, and which would even “raise perfuming to the level of art” then at an epoch of reverence for Parisian culture. Fukuhara always had in mind to pursue business alongside art, and his own stated philosophy as a cosmetics maker was to create “products as art.” In terms of the business of manufacturing cosmetics, he worked hard to understand European culture and used this as sustenance for developing a specifically Japanese line of products based on a distinctly Japanese aesthetic and attention to detail. This spirit of “products as art” is continued in Shiseido product development efforts even today.

This exhibition includes a selection of French perfume bottles representative of the Parisian artistic culture that appealed so strongly to Shinzo Fukuhara, along with about fifty examples of Shiseido perfume bottles, from early ones Fukuhara himself had a hand in designing to numerous others from the subsequent decades through to the present, all showing how that original spirit of “products as art” has been maintained throughout.

French perfume bottles, including notably those designed by glass artist René Lalique, can be seen here offering the kind of European tone that Shiseido was aiming for in the early years. Pre-war bottles for Shiseido perfumes like “Ume” (“Plum”) and “Serenade” show unique and rich designs distinct from European bottles of the time. Exhibiting these along with more contemporary creations of Shiseido bottle designers gives a good sense of the unique design sensibilities that the company has long pursued.

The gallery space will also host interactive installations in collaboration with the art/design group “plaplax,” an exploration of the appeal of perfume bottles that turns the entire gallery space into a place to enjoy the richness and depth of perfume bottles.

Other events happening simultaneously include an exhibit of about fifty Shiseido perfume bottles from the post-war era to the present at the Shiseido Ginza Building (Ginza Communication Space), an exhibit of perfume bottles by Serge Lutens at Shiseido The Ginza, and a display of the special perfume flasks gifted to recipients of the Hanatsubaki Award for Contemporary Poetry at the Shiseido Parlour (in the Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building).

福原 信三
Shinzo Fukuhara who aimed at
creating “products as art”
資生堂香水「セレナーデ」 1934年
Shiseido perfume “Serenade”
1934
  • Venue
  • Exhibit
  • Duration
  • Shiseido Ginza Building
    (Ginza Communication Space)
  • 1F
    Window Theme: “Rippling Water”

    2F
    Exhibit of 50 Shiseido Perfume Bottles from the Post-War Era to the Present

  • September 26 (Mon) – December 22 (Thu)
  • SHISEIDO THE GINZA
  • 2F
    Perfume Bottles by Serge Lutens
  • November 17 (Tue) – late December
  • Shiseido Parlour
    (Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building)
  • 1F Display Corner
    Perfume Flasks Gifted to Recipients of the Hanatsubaki Award for Contemporary Poetry
  • November 2 (Wed) – December 25 (Sun)

■Collaborating Artists — plaplax

plaplax, comprised of members Motoshi Chikamori, Kyoko Kunoh, Yasuaki Kakehi, and Ai Ohara, is a creative unit known for its activities in the cross-media field of interactive art. Taking advantage of technologies and sensibilities cultivated as part of its creative process, the group is involved in a wide range of technology development activities, often in collaboration with universities and industry, presenting space performances in public and commercial spaces and at special events, and executing installations and creating content.

■Exhibition Details for the Les Parfums Japonais — A Century of Perfume Design

Sponsor: Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Duration: November 2 (Wed) through December 25 (Sun), 2016
Location: The Shiseido Gallery
Ginza Shiseido Building, B1
8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Tel: 03-3572-3901; Fax: 03-3572-3951
Hours: Weekdays: 11:00AM–7:00PM
Sundays and National holidays: 11:00AM–6:00PM
Closed: Mondays (including holidays falling on Monday)
Admission is free.

■Perfume bottles to be displayed

L.T. Piver, “Azurea” 1901
L.T. Piver,
“Azurea”
1901
Coty, “Flower picking” Made by René Lalique around 1912
Coty,
“Flower picking”
Made by René Lalique around 1912
Shiseido perfume, “Hanatsubaki (Camellia)” 1917
Shiseido perfume,
“Hanatsubaki (Camellia)”
1917
Shiseido perfume, “Ume (Plum)” 1918
Shiseido perfume,
“Ume (Plum)”
1918
Shiseido perfume “Serenade” 1934
Shiseido perfume
“Serenade”
1934
Inquiries about the Exhibition to: Corporate Culture Department, Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Mr. Kenichiro Ito (kenichiro.ito@to.shiseido.co.jp)
Ms. Natsu Onodera (natsu.onodera@to.shiseido.co.jp)
Tel: 03-3575-5432; Fax: 03-3575-5429
Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Except Saturdays, Sundays & National Holidays)
Requests for Press Photos to: The Shiseido Gallery
Ms. Ayako Nagata (ayako.nagata@to.shiseido.co.jp)
Ms. Noriko Ohashi (noriko.ohashi@to.shiseido.co.jp)
Tel: 03-3572-3901; Fax: 03-3572-3951
Hours: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Except Mondays)