“Perfume becomes art”: Guerlain launches Jasmin fragrance inspired by Matisse

11 Jan 2023 --- Guerlain of LVMH is collaborating with Maison Matisse, founded by the painter Henri Matisse’s great-grandson, Jean-Matthieu Matisse, to launch Jasmin Bonheur, a fragrance inspired by the artist’s hues of orange apricot, purple iris and rose pink.

The partnership has also produced a limited-edition series of the iconic Bee Bottle, whose design is inspired by the artist’s palette of the La Musique painting.

Guerlain says that the collaboration is to celebrate the “art of happiness” as Matisse, considered to be one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century, is touted as a “painter of happiness and a sublime master of color.”

Mediterranean jasmine summers
The fragrance – Jasmin Bonheur – is inspired by Matisse’s masterpiece Les Mille et Une Nuits. The bottle is designed with a decorative plate on the cap along with colorful designs on the case. 

The painting depicts hearts, jasmine flowers and leaves, which are abstracted colorfully with fuchsia pink, lemon yellow, sunny orange, emerald green, Mediterranean blue and joyful red.Jasmin Bonheur.

“Jasmin Bonheur reveals a vibrantly colorful jasmine, tinted with joyful hues – from the radiant orange apricot notes to the vibrant purple of iris and soft rose pink – in a precious limited-edition work of art that evokes Henri Matisse’s brilliant palette,” describes Guerlain.

The olfactory canvas celebrates jasmine flowers, and the limited edition comes in 1,000 pieces worldwide. In this collection, a limited edition of 500 pieces of Figue Azure scented candles is also included – said to evoke a stroll in the shade of Mediterranean fig trees.

“My great-grandfather’s works are very multi-sensory. His world was full of plants and flowers that became recurring motifs in his work. There are thus a myriad of compelling connections between his work and the artistry of Guerlain perfume,” says Jean-Matthieu Matisse.

“That’s why we were delighted to embark on this collaboration, especially since we share values, exacting standards, a respect for precision and a love of color. This celebration of happiness is a beautiful initiative and a first for Maison Matisse.”

“Ode to painting, music and perfumery”
As the Bee Bottle reaches its 170th anniversary this year, the Maison Matisse edition of the bottle comes in decorations of motifs inspired by La Musique, the 1939 dated painting of two women, one listening to the other playing the guitar.

Only 14 of these bottles are hand-painted, signed and numbered. They contain the Couleur Bonheur Extrait de parfum – “fragrance whose olfactory notes are as sunny as the artist’s palette, a fruity chypre composition.”The limited-edition Bee Bottle.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Maison Matisse show its trust in us for these new creations. Our partnership is anchored by shared values of excellence, exacting standards and elegance, and a mutual love of beauty, nature and art,” says Ann-Caroline Prazan, director of Art, Culture and Heritage at Guerlain.

Guerlain dabbles in paint
The house has maintained close ties to art since its founding in 1828. Guerlain perfumers are noted to find inspiration in avant-garde artists as part of elevating their creations.

Significantly, since 2005 with Guerlain Haute Parfumerie, the company has encompassed and celebrated art with perfumery. The second celebration was with the L’Art & La Matière collection – a fragrance laboratory where Guerlain perfumers can find inspiration from emotional responses to art.

“Thanks to their talent and expertise, exceptional materials are revealed in new ways when the perfumers compose fragrances that transcend the olfactory signatures as perfume becomes art,” says the Maison.

Moreover, Guerlain has been developing the Exceptional Creations series by supporting contemporary artists by commissioning their designs for limited-edition lines.

Edited by Venya Patel