FRANCIS KURKDJIAN BRINGS PERFUME TO THE PALAIS DE TOKYO
With “Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible”
What if perfume could be seen, touched and felt beyond the skin? This autumn in Paris, Francis Kurkdjian turns that idea into reality. At the Palais de Tokyo, his exhibition Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible invites visitors to experience thirty years of artistic creation through scent.
From 29 October to 23 November 2025, the space transforms into an immersive world where fragrance escapes the bottle and becomes something new. It moves through air, sound and light, carrying emotion in every note. Entry is free, but the experience will stay with you long after you leave. For those who believe that perfume is more than a luxury, this is a journey worth taking.
THE INVISIBLE ART OF FRANCIS KURKDJIAN
Francis Kurkdjian has always seen perfume as a language, one that speaks through feelings rather than words. He is known for creations that sit between high perfumery and conceptual art. Over the years, he has filled the Palace of Versailles with scented bubbles, recreated the smell of money for artist Sophie Calle, and designed perfumes that behave like music.
At the Palais de Tokyo, his world finally unfolds as a complete story. Curated by Jérôme Neutres, Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible gathers his most imaginative works and collaborations from the past three decades. It brings together the installations, performances and objects that have shaped his vision. Here, perfume is not a product but a way of expressing emotion.
“WORKING WITH ARTISTS HELPS ME SATISFY MY CURIOSITY FOR THINGS BEYOND MY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. THESE ENCOUNTERS PUSH ME TO EXPAND MY OWN PRACTICE.”
– Francis Kurkdjian
THE EXHIBITION: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE AIR
The exhibition feels like a walk through memory. Each room has its own scent, its own rhythm. Visitors receive small fragrance blotters to carry with them, collecting traces of what they have smelled, like pages from an invisible diary.
A LANE OF PORCELAIN ROSES
The path begins with Sparks of Roses, a poetic lane lined with porcelain petals crafted by the artisans of the Manufacture de Sèvres. These delicate petals release the soft, natural scent of rose. Their white surfaces were fired to allow them to hold fragrance, turning porcelain into a living material. It is a gentle, dreamlike beginning.
THE SMELL OF MONEY
Next comes one of Kurkdjian’s boldest ideas, The Smell of Money. Created for artist Sophie Calle in 1999, it captures the scent of used banknotes, paper, ink and the trace of human hands. It feels both familiar and strange, questioning how something invisible can hold so much power and meaning.
MUSIC YOU CAN SMELL
In another space, visitors enter a room filled with the sound of Bach. In The Essence of Music, cellist Klaus Mäkelä performs Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 while five unique scents interpret each movement. Warm woods and spices echo the music’s crescendos, while soft musk and amber fade like a final note. The harmony between sound and fragrance creates a calm that feels almost sacred.
PERFUME IN VIRTUAL REALITY
Kurkdjian also looks to the future with Eden, a virtual reality experience created with Cyril Teste and Hugo Arcier. Visitors wear a headset that releases fragrance as a virtual garden blooms around them. The installation lets each person grow their own scented world. It is both digital and deeply human, reminding us that smell remains our most emotional sense.
A THOUSAND PORCELAIN BOTTLES
One of the most striking pieces comes from Chinese artist Wan Liya. His installation, Thousands Kilometers Landscapes, stretches eleven metres long and is made up of 250 porcelain bottles painted in deep cobalt blue. Inspired by ancient Chinese scrolls, it brings together French perfumery and Eastern craftsmanship in a quiet, flowing dialogue.
THE ALCHEMY OF THE SENSES
The exhibition’s grand finale is The Alchemy of the Senses, inspired by Baccarat Rouge 540. Kurkdjian joined forces with kinetic artist Elias Crespin, world-renowned chef Anne-Sophie Pic, composer David Chalmin, and pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque.
Visitors begin by tasting a delicate creation by Anne-Sophie Pic before entering a glowing red space where the light shifts slowly from gold to crimson. Above them, Crespin’s kinetic sculpture moves like a heartbeat suspended in air. The music rises, and the scent of the new Baccarat Rouge 540 Millésime fills the room. The experience surrounds every sense. It feels like stepping into a dream made of light and fragrance.
BEHIND THE MAISON
Maison Francis Kurkdjian, founded in 2009 by Francis Kurkdjian and Marc Chaya, has become one of the most influential names in modern perfumery. It is a maison built on craftsmanship, precision, and emotion. Every fragrance tells a story. From the revolutionary Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier, created when Kurkdjian was just twenty-six, to the now-iconic Baccarat Rouge 540, his creations move between intimacy and spectacle. Each one feels like a moment captured in air.
Francis Kurkdjian often says that perfume is an art of emotion, space and time. It spreads through the air, changes every second, and disappears; but its memory stays. Like a piece of music, it is alive, never fixed, never the same twice. Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible captures that essence. It invites visitors to slow down and breathe. It asks them to look beyond what they can see and to sense the invisible world that surrounds them.
VISIT THE EXHIBITION
Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible – 30 Years of Artistic Creation by Francis Kurkdjian
Palais de Tokyo, Paris (16th arrondissement)
29 October – 23 November 2025
Free entry with reservation via franciskurkdjian.com
Opening hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday to Sunday: Noon to 10pm
Thursday: Noon to Midnight
Tuesday: Closed
THE STORY CONTINUES IN LE PARFUM MAGAZINE CHAPTER 7
The exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo is only the beginning. It marks the start of a new conversation about perfume, creativity, and emotion.
In Le Parfum Magazine Chapter 7, Francis Kurkdjian shares his story in an exclusive interview. He speaks about his journey, the ideas behind Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible, and what it means to create beauty that cannot be seen. It is a rare insight into the mind of a modern perfumer who changed the way we experience scent.
