Themes

Boutique Fouquet: installation of a space representing the interior designed by Mucha, Musée Carnavalet, Paris (1900)

Fouquet and Mucha had worked together on a number of jewellery pieces for Fouquet's stand at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. When the Parisian jeweller decided to move his boutique to the luxurious Rue Royale, he called on Mucha to design all aspects of his shop - both exterior and interior, and the contents including the furniture, light fittings and showcases.

Mucha conceived the shop as a complete work of art, which would provide a harmonious environment for Fouquet's jewellery. Mucha drew inspiration from the natural world, and pride of place is given to two spectacular peacocks set against glowing designs in stained glass.

The shop opened in 1901 and was an immediate success. In an article in the Revue de la Bijouterie, A. Robert writes:

'[Fouquet] has raised it to the level of his art, furnished it in accordance with the canon of his soul and he has done it so brilliantly that the jeweller and his products find themselves in a milieu which is so appropriate to its intended application that it almost seems to be a talking sign.'

Mucha's designs remained in place until 1923 when it was replaced with more up-to-date fittings. In 1941 Fouquet gave each piece of Mucha's revolutionary design to the Musée Carnavalet for safekeeping. In 1989 the Musée Carnavalet completed the painstaking job of reconstructing the boutique. It remains one of the most spectiacular examples of Art Nouveau decorative design.