René Lalique (1860-1945) created a wealth of elegant works made of glass during the zenith of Art Deco, early in the twentieth century.

Glass is easy to process and suitable for mass production. As technologies improved, it had rapidly became part of everyday life, from the end of the nineteenth century on. Lalique had seen its potential early on. During the Art Nouveau period, when Lalique was designing and making jewelry, he had begun using glass to replace gemstones. As the era of Art Deco began, he developed original techniques for molding glass and created a succession of works that combined artistic elegance with practical utility.

The purity of light shining through glass and a rich brilliance like that of precious medals fills Lalique’s works with the art de vivre (art of living), the spirit characteristic of French decorative art.

In this exhibition, two hundred twenty carefully selected examples from the world-renowned Kitazawa Museum of Art’s Lalique collection are displayed in spaces where works by Lalique such as the glass-relief doors in the front entrance hall, have been used in the interior decor in the Former Prince Asaka Residence, itself an Important Cultural Property. 

This exhibition also includes a special exhibit of works from the former Asaka family collection as well as vases that the Showa Emperor brought back as mementoes during his travels in Paris as Crown Prince before he ascended to the throne.