The Maison Francis Kurkdjian retrospective exhibition Perfume, Sculptures of the Invisible offers an unprecedented dialogue between fragrance and other forms of expression such as video, photography and music.

Fragrance in every shape and form, including the most unexpected, is the exhibition’s common thread. Visitors are invited to embark on astonishing olfactory experiences while rethinking the role played by perfume in how we smell, see and understand art and the world. Each creation, installation and video leads to the discovery of a different scent. Some are diffused in the rooms, while others can be sniffed individually by pushing a button or via “fragrance strips” that visitors can take with them to prolong their olfactory experience.

Revisiting creations from the past 30 years, the exhibition includes olfactory installations and environments that made their mark both in France and beyond. Visitors can relive magical moments created at the Grand Palais, the Palace of Versailles, the Philharmonie de Paris and the West Bund Art & Design contemporary art fair in Shanghai. As they wander through the rooms, they are greeted by a lane of porcelain rose petals made fragrant thanks to a partnership with artisans from the Manufacture de Sèvres porcelain manufactory. They see their reflection in a giant mirror surrounded by a scented atmosphere, immerse themselves in the magic of double wick candles in a decor evoking the famous Versailles garden groves, and watch video archives documenting key stages of the creative process in artistic and cultural venues.

The exhibition celebrating the rich olfactory world of Francis Kurkdjian is being held in the Saut du Loup space in Paris’s Palais de Tokyo from October 29 to November 23, 2025.