Written by: Catherine Wolinski

Cartier, the French jeweler and luxury watch manufacturer headquartered in Paris, is currently hosting an ongoing exhibition inviting artists from around the world to express themselves using mathematic principles.

Mathematics: A Beautiful Elsewhere

The exhibition, which began Oct. 21 and will run until Mar. 18, is being held at the Fondation Cartier in Paris. Its doorsand walls are open to mathematicians and artists alike, attempting to inspire the collaboration of ideas between two major properties of watch-making theory: Art and math.

Developed in partnership with IHES, the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques (Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies) and sponsored by UNESCO, the five-month exhibit seeks to showcase creative landscapes that thematically link to art and mathematics, the pillars of Cartier’s creations.

Many contributed to the exhibition who are not traditional artists. The overseers of the creation included eight global leaders in mathematics and science—Sir Michael Atiyah, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Alain Connes, Nicole El Karoui, Misha Gromov, Giancarlo Lucchini, Cedric Villani, and Don Zagier—each of which stems from a different discipline within their craft, with backgrounds in theory, partial differential equations, probability, biology, and multiple types of geometry. Joining these leaders were nine artists, chosen for their willingness and ability to learn complicated material, and from it create magnificence to share with the masses.

The artists, each of whom has been exhibited at the Fondation Cartier, or Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, included Jean-Michel Alberola, Raymond Depardon, Claudine Nougaret, Takeshi Kitano, David Lynch, Beatriz Milhazes, Patti Smith, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Tadanori Tokoo, and Pierre Buffin and company, or “BUF.” Collaborating to transform mathematics, a typically abstract thought process, into a relatable experience for the human senses, these inventive thinkers succeeded in creating something both resplendent and satiating.

Considered a rare model of corporate philanthropy in France, the creative space was initially intended to serve as a meeting place for art and the generable public. Established in 1984 by the President of Cartier International at the time, Alain Dominique Perrin, the Cartier Foundation continues to promote public awareness of modern artistic endeavors. One way the center has done this is organizing a program each year based on an artist or theme that allows for a rich collection of artistic expression. Perhaps its most unique characteristic is its encouragement of combining the visual arts with other types of human expression—like mathematics—by embracing fields of varied subject matter. This year’s exhibit, Mathematics: A Beautiful Elsewhere, muffles the expected elitism of a luxury company like Cartier, and fosters artistic media that is praised by the public for its originality and accessibility.