This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Cartier Design Viewed by Ettore Sottsass brought the French jewellery house’s collection into a design museum. The Berlin presentation ran from 14 June to 15 September 2002. Designer Ettore Sottsass selected the objects and shaped how visitors encountered them. This historical review considers the selection, display and craft behind the exhibition.
A 2002 exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum’s Berlin venue, with Cartier objects selected and displayed by Ettore Sottsass. Its focus was the design of jewellery, clocks and accessories.
Cartier Design Viewed by Ettore Sottsass: Selection and Display
According to Domus’s contemporary report of 11 June 2002, Sottsass chose 200 objects and presented them in specially designed, temple-like showcases. Jewellery appeared alongside watches, clocks and other accessories. The display invited visitors to compare shape and colour across different types of object.
Sottsass explained his selection in terms of design rather than price or social standing. Domus quoted him: “Of an object in general I tend to ignore everything except the design”. His approach offers a useful way to look at luxury objects. Start with the lines, proportions and colour relationships; then consider ownership and materials as further layers of meaning.
Cartier Exhibition: Design History and Craftsmanship
The exhibition also included a film about jewellery-making, enlarged preliminary drawings and portraits of Cartier clients. These elements placed finished pieces beside evidence of making and use. A drawing records one stage of a design, while a finished jewel shows the result. A portrait adds another view: how an object looks when worn.
Cartier Exhibition in Berlin: Historical Details
- Dates: June 14, 2002 – September 15, 2002
- Location: Vitra Design Museum (Berlin exhibition venue)
- Historical address: Kopenhagener Strasse 58, Berlin, Germany
- Status: Past exhibition; the details above describe the 2002 Berlin presentation
- Website: www.design-museum.de
Display helps guide what we notice. A showcase can frame a small jewel as an object to study, while a portrait connects it to a person. Reading those views together allows design, craft and social history to remain part of the same discussion.
Explore further: How does reframing luxury objects as design change our understanding of value? Consider how exhibitions like this influence contemporary approaches to collecting, display, and interpretation.
The Catalogue and Later Presentations
Cartier’s bibliography records the exhibition catalogue, published by Skira in editions from 2002 to 2004. It lists Berlin and Milan in 2002, followed by Kyoto’s Daigo-ji Temple and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 2004. German, Italian, English and Japanese versions are recorded. These details help distinguish the Berlin event from the exhibition’s later presentations.
The catalogue is a useful next step for readers who want to study the exhibition beyond a short account. Check the edition and venue when comparing descriptions: a touring exhibition’s title does not establish that every display or object list remained identical. This article concerns the Berlin presentation and does not treat photographs of other Cartier settings as installation evidence.
Looking at Jewellery as Design
For a close reading, begin with a few concrete questions. Does a piece rely on a clear outline or many small details? Where does colour draw the eye? How does its scale relate to the body, or to the space around it? These questions turn an abstract claim about “luxury” into observations that a reader can test.
The approach can also be compared with the broader design questions explored in our Bauhaus overview. That comparison is a reading aid, not evidence of a direct influence on this exhibition. Sottsass’s selection should be understood through the exhibition’s own records rather than assigned to a movement on the strength of a shared interest in form.
Sources and Further Reading
Domus, Contemporary report of the Berlin exhibition, 11 June 2002. Contemporary account of the Berlin dates, selection, displays and supporting material. Cartier, exhibition catalogue bibliography, 2002–2004. The interpretive reading questions above are editorial commentary.
